Next Generation Mermaid
by Asuki Star
Summary: 25 years after season 2, the girls all have a daughter. They meet for the first time at camp near Mako. What happens when the daughter turn to mermaids and have to deal with it alone? I'm bad at summarys. Story is better. Please R
1. Encounter

**Disclaimer: I don't own H2O. Love it though.**

**A/N: This is my first fanfiction and I hope you like it. Note this plays 25 years after season 2 and that it centers around Cleo's, Emma's and Rikki's daughters. Emma, Cleo and Rikki will play a minor roll, though. **

Chapter 1: Encounter

"Hurry up, Amber or you will miss your plane," Rikki Bennett ordered. "I never agreed to go to that lame camp," her daughter objected as she came down the stairs with a cell phone in her hand. Her blond hair, which was just as curly as her mothers, was tied up in two braids. Amber wore a black skirt and a red tank top. "We discussed this a million times. You can't just sit around house the whole day playing with your computer," Rikki told her. "Why not?" Amber asked as she placed her backpack next to her small suitcase.

"There's more to life than surfing the net and chatting. What do you have against the Gold Coast anyway?" her mother replied. "One. I'm stuck in some camp like a five year old. Two. Melbourne is way cooler than the Gold Coast. Besides just because you couldn't have a computer as a teenager doesn't mean I have to give up mine," Amber listed and grabbed a bottle of water. "That's it. Hurry up. The cab is waiting," Rikki told her, a bit hurt. Amber opened the bottle, but the water burst out, spraying her and her mother with water. Rikki made a shocked face that she always had when she got surprisingly wet. "Calm down. It's just water," Amber said as she picked up her bag. Her mother regained her composure and muttered, "Right, just water. Well, have fun. Call me when you get there." "I will. Bye mom. Tell dad bye from me when he returns from his business trip," Amber told her, gave her mother a hug and then left her family's huge flat.

*

"Clothes, check. Phone, check. Books, check," a blond girl muttered as she looked through her neatly packed bag one last time and then closed it, "Perfect." She took her plane ticket and bag and went into the living room. "I'm ready," she said to her mother and father. "Have everything?" Emma Wilson asked her daughter. "I checked twice," Emily replied. "Then nothing can go wrong, sweetie. Have fun at camp," Ash Wilson said and gave his daughter a hug. "Have fun, Emily," Emma told her and also hugged her, "James is the car ready?" "Everything's ready," Emily's brother, James replied as he came in, "But it's raining like crazy."

The family brought Emily to the car under umbrellas. A few drops fell on Emma, but she didn't notice or care about them. "Call us when you get there," Emma said. "I will," Emily smiled as the car drove off and then turned to her brother, "Thanks for taking me to the airport." "No problem. I would do anything for my little sister," James replied. Her brother was three years older. "I'm your only sister," Emily reminded him as they entered the Canberra Airport. Emily Wilson said good bye to her brother and entered the airport. "I'm off to camp," she smiled as pushed a bit of her long straight hair out of her face.

*

"I can't wait!" a brunette cheered as she jumped through the bedroom. She was deciding what to wear. After nearly twenty minutes she decided for a pink top and a denim skirt. Checking her long, curly, brown hair one last time she went into the living room of the apartment. "Do you have everything, Sarah?" her mother Cleo Sertori asked. "I think so," Sarah answered as she picked up her bag. "How about your bus ticket or do you plan on walking from Brisbane to the Gold Coast?" Cleo laughed as she held it out. "Right. Sorry. I'm just so excited." "I hope you have fun," the mother said as she walked to the kitchen, "Four weeks at camp." Cleo began to wash as Sarah turned around one last time and hugged her mother. "I'll miss you," Sarah told her. "Same here."

Then Sarah left and went to the bus station. A long bus ride awaited her.

*

A few hours later Amber's plane had landed. For her the plane ride hadn't been so bad. She had flown first class after all. Now all she had to do was find the bus that would bring her to camp. Walking around the crowded Gold Coast Airport, she sighed.

Suddenly she ran into someone. A blond girl and a brunette also with bags. Meeting their eyes it felt like time stood still. An image of a cave and a pool flashed into their minds, along with a feeling of knowing it.

Snapping back into reality, the three girls muttered, "Sorry." Before they could go their ways, a woman came up to them and said, "You must be the last three girls. Amber, Sarah and Emily, right?" The girls nodded. "So you are Mrs. Rose, the councilor," Emily assumed. "That's right. Follow me. The bus is parked outside," the councilor replied and led the girls to the bus.

The girls boarded the bus and looked around. Five other teenagers were already there. They sat down on a bench next to another girl that seemed their age. The girl also had long blond hair and was very pretty. Her eyes were blue. "Hi, I'm Jessica Manden," the girl introduced herself. "I'm Emily Wilson," the blonde girl with blue eyes said. "My name is Sarah Sertori. Nice to meet you," the brown eyed brunette smiled. "I'm Amber Bennett," the curly blond told them, but then turned her attention to the scenery outside the bus. "I'm so excited," Sarah confessed to the girls. "Same here. I can't wait," Jessica agreed. "I'm also looking forward to camp," Emily said. "I have a deck of cards with me. You want to play?" Sarah asked. The two blonds nodded, but Amber declined. "What's up with her?" the three other girls wondered.

After a thirty minute bus ride the bus stopped in a parking lot. When the kids stepped outside they saw to their left the crystal blue ocean and on their right a path leading into the woods. "Up the path are your cabins, the mess hall and any other buildings. Cabins have already been assigned and there will be no changing," Mrs. Rose told them and then began to read the room assignments, "Cabin 5. Amber, Jessica, Sarah, and Emily." "Isn't this great?" Sarah asked. Emily and Jessica nodded while Amber rolled her eyes. After Mrs. Rose finished reading the assignments, she said, "I will remind you, that girls and boys are not allowed into the cabin of the opposite sex nor is any making out allowed. Any infractions to these rules will be punished severely. Now go get settled and we will meet at the shore at 5:30."

The teenagers scattered and began settle down. The girls entered their cabin and saw two bunk beds, two closets and a table. A window on the back wall gave them a view of the woods. "So who wants which bed?" Emily asked. "Mine," Amber said and sat down on one of the lower bunks. "If you don't mind I would like to have a top bunk," Sarah replied. "Me too," Jessica admitted. "Okay, I'm fine with a bottom bunk," Emily told them and with that the bed question had been settled.

They spent the rest of their time unpacking and then assembled at the beach at the appointed time. When everyone was here, Mrs. Rose told them, "For your first evening we have something special planned. See that island out there? That's Mako Island. We'll go exploring there. Now everyone board the boat."

On the boat Amber sat down next to a boy with brown hair. "Why go explore some dumb island?" he muttered. "Agreed. We could spend our time so much better," Amber replied, "I'm Amber." "Jordan. You were forced to come here as well?" he asked. "You could say that," she answered, happy she found someone who also didn't want to be here.

On the other side of the boat Sarah said, "Mako Island looks so beautiful." "It's been untouched for thousands of years," she heard someone say behind her. She turned around and saw a red haired boy. He had beautiful green eyes and a few freckles danced over his face. "You know a lot about Mako?" Sarah asked. "I grew up here so I guess I do." "Like what?" "Well, around Mako there are a lot of reefs where many fish and sharks are inhabited. Plus it has a some very rare underwater life. On top of that the volcano had been dormant for a long time as well." "Cool." "Oh, I'm Ryan," the redhead introduced himself and reached out his hand. "Sarah," she replied and shook it with a smile.

"I can't wait. Mako Island is supposed to be full of mysteries," Jessica said to Emily. "I've never heard of it, but it looks very nice," Emily replied, "You're into mysteries?" "Not only. I'm also into Biology. Marin biology. "

Arriving at Mako they got off the boat. A girl stood on the beach with her cell phone. "Damn it. No reception," the girl with red hair cursed. "What do you expect? We're miles from mainland," Amber replied. "That still doesn't explain it," the girl objected. "Yes it does. The connection doesn't reach this far out," Emily explained. "Riley, stop making a fool of yourself," Ryan told her. "You know her?" Sarah asked. "Unfortunately. This is my twin sister, Riley," he introduced. "Ow," Amber said. "You have a problem with me?" Riley asked. "No of course not," Amber answered, drenched in sarcasm. "Break it up, girls. Here are your maps. You will be with your roommates," Mrs. Rose told them.

They had been walking along the beach for a while now. Suddenly Amber, Sarah and Emily had an urge to walk more towards the island center. "Where are you going?" Jessica asked, hurrying after them, "Sarah! Emily! Amber! Wait up!" The three girls didn't react. They kept on walking through the woods.

When the urge finally let up, they were near a small waterfall. It was already getting dark. "What happened?" Emily asked. "No clue," Amber replied. "Where's Jessica?" Sarah questioned. "I think we lost her," Emily answered, concerned. "I think we are lost," Amber corrected her. "Doesn't matter, but we have to find the others before it gets dark," Sarah said and took a step forward.

Unfortunately there was a hole and she fell in. However Sarah held on to Emily, who held on to Amber so they all fell into the hole. They landed in a cave. "Great. Now we are not only lost, but stuck in a cave," Amber said. "Lets look around before we say we're doomed," Emily suggested. The girls nodded and walked through the cave.

They reached a bigger cave with a sort of pool in the middle. "I've seen this place before," the three girls thought, but didn't dare say it aloud. "This is the inside of the volcano," Emily said amazed, "And look there's tide rings and a hole in the wall underwater. That's our way out." "Ah… To be honest, I can't swim well," Sarah confessed. "I'll help you, but first I'll check how far it is until the ocean. I'm a pretty good swimmer," Emily replied and dove underwater. A while later she came back and told them, "It's about a twenty second swim under water." "Okay," Amber shrugged and jumped in. The girls looked at Sarah. "Maybe I'll stay here," she began uncomfortable. "And wait for a miracle? Come on, we'll help you," Amber replied as the blonds stretched out their hands. With a smile Sarah took them and jumped in.

Just as they were about to dive under the waxing moon came over the volcano entrance. It would be a week until it was full. Suddenly the water began to bubble and small yellow bubbles flew to the moon. The girls looked up at the moon and then themselves. "What's going on?" Sarah asked, scared. "I'm not sure," Emily answered, but then just as soon as the bubbles had started they were gone. "Weird," Amber muttered and the girls nodded in agreement. Then they dove under and swam out into the ocean.

**A/N:** Why did the moon pool activate without a full moon? What will happen to the girls now? How come Emma, Rikki and Cleo can touch the water without transforming? If you want to know keep reading. Please also review so I know that I won't put up the second chapter for nothing.


	2. Discoveries

**A/N: First of all I want to thank everyone for their reviews and I'm glad you like it.**

**fantasylunargirl thanks for pointing out my mistake. I didn't know or remember Ash was given a last name and I couldn't find it on any of the sites that I looked. And to your second comment I will say this much. There is a reason why Sarah's dad isn't Lewis and why she doesn't have one. I however can't tell you why or I would have to reveal a lot more of my story, but I will say this much. Lewis will play a roll in my story** **and he will appear in a few chapters.** **I hope that answers your questions.**

Chapter 2: Discoveries

The next morning Emily woke up at 6:00 like she always did. She put on her bathing suit and got her towel. Walking towards the beach, she thought about what happened last night.

_After they were out in the ocean, they were found by Mrs. Rose and the others who were on the boat. Back at camp they got a lecture._

Suddenly Emily, as she past the mess hall, ran into a person carrying boxes coming out of the it. The boxes and the two people crashed to the ground. "I'm sorry," Emily said as she picked up her towel. "No it's my fault," the other person replied. It was a boy who was slightly older than her. He had brown hair and eyes. He picked up his boxes and then helped her up. "I'm Daniel," the boy smiled. "Emily," she replied, blushing a bit, "Are you a councilor or something?" "You could say that. I deliver the food that the camp needs from a local shop and do other small stuff for the camp, but only until I start with college." "I see." "I have to go. I still have a few things to do. Hope I see you again," Daniel told her and left after he winked at her.

Emily felt herself turn red. "No, no. You don't find him attractive and you don't think he's cute. Summer relationships never work out. Think of last year," Emily thought, trying to straighten her mind as she walked towards the ocean. Whenever she needed to think or relax, Emily knew no better cure than swimming. Her mother had often gone swimming with her when she was younger. Emily supposed she inherited her mother's love for swimming. She placed her towel on the beach and dove into the ocean.

Emily did a few quick strokes and then dove under. She felt the cool water and her mind began to relax. Suddenly her body felt weird and she looked down at herself. Her body turned to bubbles and then a bronze mermaid tail took the place of her legs. Emily gasped.

*

At 6:30 Sarah woke up. She wasn't a morning person, but she loved to take a bath in the morning so she got up early to make it to breakfast on time. Grudgingly she grabbed her bath stuff and left the cabin. Arriving at the bath house her mood didn't improve. Instead of a bath tub at home there were only showers. Sarah sighed and got under one. She turned on the water. It was freezing cold.

Suddenly Sarah lost her balance and fell to the floor. "Damn it," she muttered, rubbing her head, which she had bumped on the wall. Then she stared. Her legs were a tail and she wore a bronze bikini top made of scales. Quickly she looked around to see if anyone was there. No one, thank god.

*

Amber awoke at the sound of her alarm. It was 7:00. Too early for any normal person. She turned off the alarm and rolled out of bed. Getting dressed she cursed her mother for sending her here. Looking around she saw her cabin mates were already gone. Probably to breakfast.

With a yawn Amber left the cabin. She headed for the mess hall when she saw a puddle. Looking around she made sure no one was around. Just as she began to splash through the puddle, Amber heard two people cry, "Don't!" From one side Emily came running towards her and from the other Sarah.

But it was too late. Amber's feet had gotten wet. Quickly they each grabbed one of Amber's arms and pulled her towards their cabin. Just as they entered it, Amber's body turned to bubbles. Amber stared at her legs which was now a tail astonished. "What.. Is this?" she stammered. "The same thing happened to me," Sarah told them, "I wanted make sure you guys were alright." "Same here," Emily said.

"It seems if we touch water, we become…," Sarah began uncomfortable. "No, it can't be. It's illogical," Emily muttered. "We become mermaids," Amber said straight out. "But mermaids don't exist. They're mythical creatures," Sarah objected. "Then I guess we don't exist either," Amber joked, still lying on the ground.

"Not funny," Emily told her, seriously. "But how or why did this happen?" Sarah asked. "What's to know? When we get wet, we turn into mermaids," Amber answered and turned back to normal, "And when we are dry again, we turn back to normal." She stood up. "But something must have happened at that cave last night to have made us become this," Emily speculated, "We should see if we find there."

Suddenly the door opened and Jessica came in. The three girls stared at her. "Something wrong?" Jessica asked. "No," Sarah answered, maybe a bit too quickly. "Why are you here?" Amber asked. "Besides the fact that I also live here. Mrs. Rose is looking for you. She seems quite annoyed," Jessica answered. The girls followed Jessica to the mess hall. "We have to keep this a secret," Emily whispered to Amber and Sarah, who nodded.

After breakfast the three girls sat in Mrs. Rose's office. "I know this is camp and you are supposed to have fun, but you can't keep disregarding the rules. If you keep this up, I will have to take action," she told them and then dismissed them.

The girls walked down to the beach. "We have an hour before the activities start. Lets go to Mako," Emily suggested. "Agreed," Amber said. "Ah, I think I'll stay here," Sarah objected. "Why?" Amber asked. "We're only checking out that cave," Emily told her. "No, I'll stay here in case Mrs. Rose asks for you. We don't want to get into more trouble," Sarah said. "Good idea. Thanks, we'll tell you what we find," Emily replied. Both Emily and Amber felt a gap to Sarah at that moment. "If that's what you want," Amber added and then Sarah hurried off.

The two blonds dived into the ocean. There they were met by a breath taking underwater world. Through the corals and schools of fish they swam. Finally they surfaced in the moon pool. "That was amazing," Emily said, astonished. "The coolest experience I've ever had," Amber agreed, "This is really relaxing." "I wish Sarah were here." "We can't change it." "True. Lets start looking around."

*

Sarah slumped on a table in the mess hall. The whole mermaid thing was too much for her. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she heard someone ask her. It was Ryan. "Nothing," Sarah muttered. "Doesn't look like nothing." After a moment of thought, she asked, "You know a lot, don't you? What do you know of about mermaids?" "Mermaids. Well, they are mythical sea creatures with the upper body of a female and a fish tail. Their voices are said to have killed many sailors." "Is that all?" "I can look up something. I'll talk to you later," Ryan said and then left.

Sarah stared at a glass of water in front of her. She reached out for her glass, but suddenly a gust of wind blew it from the table. Just as she pulled her hand back, the wind stopped. Carefully Sarah stretched her hand out again and the wind blew again. Then she reached her hand out to pick up the pieces of glass, but suddenly the water started rise by itself. Sarah turned her hand a little and it kept rising along with the movement of her hand. She stared astonished.

Suddenly the bell to sound the starting of the activities rang. She lost her concentration and the water splashed back into a puddle on the floor. Unfortunately a drop landed on her leg and after 10 seconds she transformed. "Great," Sarah muttered, lying on the floor annoyed and waited to dry.

*

"Where is Sarah?" Emily asked, standing next to Amber. They had made it just in time for today's hiking expedition. Amber shrugged as the others followed Mrs. Rose into the woods surrounding the camp. Just as Emily and Amber were about to follow, Sarah came running up to them and exclaimed, "You guys! You won't believe it!" "First we have to tell you something," Emily replied. "It was amazing. You have to come with us next time," Amber told her. "Maybe," Sarah said, "But you won't guess what just happened. I made…" "Are you coming?" an annoyed Mrs. Rose asked, coming up to them. Quickly the girls hurried after the others and Sarah couldn't tell of her discovery.

Having walked through the woods for hours, Mrs. Rose led them to the beach. "We'll rest here for half an hour and then head back," she told them, "You may do what ever you wish, but don't stray off to far." "Thank god," Riley groaned, "I'm so exhausted and my top of the line sandals will be ruined after this. They cost over $100." Amber was about to tell her to shut up, when Emily and Sarah quickly pulled her further up the beach. "She's not worth it," Emily told her.

The girls sat down on the beach. "You wanted to tell us something, Sarah," Amber reminded them. "Right," Sarah began, but suddenly a bigger wave rose over them. Protectively Emily put her hand up while the other two jumped aside and then the wave froze.

"Was that me?" she asked, making sure no one saw them. "So you can also do something like that," Sarah answered. "Also?" Amber repeated. Sarah made a stream of water come up from the ocean. "Cool," Amber muttered. "Cool. It's weird," Sarah objected, but Amber wasn't listening. She was trying out several hand signs, but nothing happened. "That's unfair. Why don't I get a cool power?" she wondered.

Just then Jessica came up to them in her bikini. "Hey, guys. You want to go swimming?" "Swimming. No, thanks. After last night I've had enough of swimming for a while," Emily lied. Amber and Sarah nodded. "You can't hide from your fears," Jessica objected. "We're not scared. We just don't want to," Amber replied, firmly. "Suit yourself," Jessica said and left.

*

Returning back to camp Emily, Sarah and Amber went back into the cabin. "I still don't see why I don't get a power," Amber complained. "Be glad. That makes you half normal at least," Emily replied. "You do realize we can't use moisturizing cream now," Sarah pointed out and made a drop of water float up, "Could you, Emily?" "I think that's the least of our worries," Emily said and froze the water drop. Sarah thanked her with a smile and put the ice cube into her mouth.

"You guys are impossible. Look what you just did. I bet any other person would love to have these powers. They're wasted on you," Amber told them annoyed and stormed out of the cabin.

Amber walked into the bath house, where she met Riley and her friend. "Not only are my shoes ruined, but also my designer outfit and the salt water is ruining my hair," Riley complained. Amber was easily annoyed by such people. "Did Ryan get all the intelligence between you two?" she asked.

"What did you say?" "I guess he did. You do know we are in a nature camp." "So." "Any other person wouldn't have brought designer clothes with them." "I get what's going on here. You're jealous of me." "Me of you. Dream on." "You're jealous of my looks and cool clothes, but I guess I can't blame you. Who wouldn't be jealous?" Riley said and went under the shower, "Too bad your mother couldn't have been prettier. Then maybe a decent guy would look at you."

That was too much for Amber. She could take insults about herself, but not about her mother. Her hand at her side balled to a fist. Suddenly Riley jumped out of the shower screaming, "Hot! Hot! Hot!" "What. That's impossible," Jessica replied, who had witnessed the whole thing and held her hand under the shower, "It really is hot." Amber unclenched her fist and stared at it. She didn't know how, but she knew she had done it.

Amber hurried out of the bath house and into the woods. There she slowly balled her hand again. Suddenly a bush near her went up in flames. Shocked Amber jumped back, but then quickly extinguished the fire. With a smile Amber returned to the cabin.

"Everything alright?" Emily asked. "Everything's fine," Amber smiled. "I was thinking we could go swimming before dinner," Emily suggested. "Definitely," Amber agreed. "I don't think so," Sarah replied. "What's wrong, Sarah?" Emily questioned. "It's nothing, I just don't want to," Sarah objected. "Why?" Amber asked. "Don't worry, Sarah. Trust us. It's so much fun," Emily told her. "No, I don't want this. I'm not a mermaid!" Sarah cried and then ran off. "Sarah!" Emily exclaimed and wanted to run after her, but Amber held her back. "Let her. She needs time to get use to this. She'll be fine, trust me. Come on. I have to show you something"

*

That night at dinner Sarah sat at the other end of the table. There was a weird tension between her and Emily and Amber. They hadn't spoken to each other each other since that afternoon. After dinner Mrs. Rose made one last announcement. "Don't forget that tomorrow we will start swimming." With wide eyes Amber, Emily and Sarah stared at each other.

**A/N: **Once again I hope you enjoyed my chapter. What will the girls do against swimming? Will Sarah be able to face the facts and accept her fate? Find out in the next chapter. Please review so I know what you think.


	3. Swimming

**A/N: Thanks again for reviewing. Sorry, it took a while, hope you enjoy it. By the way, I will say it one last time. I admit I made a mistake with Emily's last name. I didn't find it online. The good news is that the third season started. I'm watching it online, since I don't want to wait so long until it airs in Germany and because I like the original voices more. Once again enjoy.**

_Italic = _Flashback**  
**

Chapter 3: Swimming

It seemed weird to Emily to worry about swimming so much that she couldn't sleep. She had always loved swimming. At some point Emily got up and went to the beach. From there she saw Mako Island illuminated by the moon above it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she heard someone ask. It was Amber. Emily nodded. "You also can't sleep?" Emily questioned. "No, of course not," Amber answered sarcastically. "What are we going to do?" "About Sarah or the swimming?" "Both." "Like I said before she'll be alright. She just needs time to figure all of this out." "I don't seem like a person that understands people very well. No offense." "None taken. It's true. I just have a good intuition about people." "And what does your intuition tell you about swimming?" "That we have to get out of." "But how? We shouldn't be attracting too much attention to ourselves." "No clue. Say… Want to go for a swim?" The blonds jumped into the water and swam off.

*

Uncomfortably Sarah, Emily and Amber stood on the docks. The others were already jumping into the water and swimming. Sarah stood far away from the blonds. "What's the matter, Sarah?" Mrs. Rose asked, "Don't tell me you are afraid of water after your trip on Mako." "Ah, no, well. You see I can't swim very well." "Well, now is the perfect time to learn."

Mrs. Rose grabbed Sarah's wrist and pulled her to the edge of the dock. Terrified Sarah stared at the water. "Come on in, Sarah. The water feels great," Ryan told her from the ocean. All of the sudden Sarah pulled free from Mrs. Rose's grip and ran off the dock. "Sarah Sertori, get back here!" Mrs. Rose ordered, but Sarah didn't listen.

Then Mrs. Rose saw Emily and Amber. "Sarah hasn't been feeling well today," Emily lied. "We'll go check on her," Amber added and they were about to walk away when Mrs. Rose asked, "Not so fast. Why aren't you swimming?" "Ah, well…," Emily stammered, but Amber said, "I caught a cold and Emily doesn't want me to feel left out." "Then you should have reported it to me and not wear a swimsuit," the councilor told her. "I know, but I didn't think it was such a big deal," Amber continued. "Very well. For today you are excused," Mrs. Rose replied and Emily and Amber were about to walk off, "But you will stay here and watch the others." The girls hung their heads low annoyed, but nodded. They only saw a red head sneak past Mrs. Rose.

*

Ryan found Sarah laying on her bed. "Hey, everything alright? Emily and Amber said you aren't feeling well." Sarah looked up at the redhead. "I'm fine." "If you're fine why did you run away?" "I don't like the ocean much." "If you're scared of the ocean you should face your fear." "Why does everybody think I'm afraid of the ocean!" "Sorry, I mean if you need help come to me."

Ryan placed his arm around her shoulder. Sarah felt relaxed, when she realized something. He was wet! Quickly she pulled away from him and grabbed a towel. Panicky she dried herself. Then she waited, but nothing happened. Sarah gave a sigh of relieve. She saw that Ryan stared at her, confused.

"What was that all about?" he asked. Sarah bit her lower lip and then lied, "I don't like getting wet." "Okay. I should get back to the others. I kind of snuck away," Ryan said and left. Sarah gave another sigh. That was too close to comfort.

*

When Ryan got back to the dock, Amber and Emily came up to him immediately. "You went to Sarah?" Amber asked. Ryan nodded. "What did she say? Is she alright?" Emily questioned. "She's fine, but why are you asking me what she said?" Ryan replied. "We aren't on speaking terms at the moment," Emily said, but then realized what she said. Amber covered her face with her hand.

"Why?" Ryan asked. "I don't believe that's any of your business. Now go back into the water," Amber answered curtly. "Don't order me around," the boy said, just before he was pushed into the water by Amber. Quickly she dried her hand. "What was that for?" Ryan questioned. "Go swimming," Amber told him and he swam off. "Sorry," Emily muttered. "Be glad there was a body of water to push him into this time or make sure there is one there next time. He can't get too close to us," Amber replied.

*

That night Sarah sat alone on the beach. In a way she felt like crying, but she didn't know why. Was she scared of what had happened to her or her situation with Emily and Amber? She had no idea. Sarah held her head.

Suddenly she heard something. Sarah got up and went towards it. Reaching the dock, she saw someone board the speed boat that belonged to the camp. After ramming into the dock, the boat sped off. "What's going on here? Who was that?" Sarah wondered, stepping towards the edge of the dock. She knew she should follow the person, but she couldn't. Staring at the water splashing against the dock, Sarah realized she was scared. Scared of what she was.

After waiting a while for the person to return, who didn't, Sarah decided to go back to the cabin. Silently Sarah crept inside and saw that all her cabin mates were sound asleep. She climbed up into her bed and sat there. How was she going to get out of swimming?

*

At breakfast the girls sat separate again. Emily looked over to Sarah several time worried while Amber just ate her breakfast like nothing was wrong. Sarah sat next to Ryan and just stared at her breakfast.

Just as breakfast ended, Mrs. Rose announced, "I have an announcement to make. It seems last night someone took the speed boat out for a trip. That would not be a problem if the person had asked and not damaged it. If anyone wishes to say anything please do so now." Sarah lowered her head. She couldn't say anything, because then Mrs. Rose would ask why she was out at night.

No one made an attempt to move. "If no one has the courage to owe up now they may do so later, but I will tell you now such a breaking of the rules will result in the loss of privileges," the councilor told them and then dismissed.

Ryan whispered to Sarah, "Meet me at the dock in 15 minutes. I want to talk to you." She nodded, but didn't know what Ryan wanted. Sarah quickly hurried back to her cabin, brushed her teeth quickly and checked her hair once more. "Where are you off to?" Jessica asked as Sarah walked out the door. "Just going to the docks," she answered. "But swimming doesn't start for an hour," Jessica pointed out. "I'm not allowed to be early?" Sarah questioned and then left. "Where's Sarah going?" Emily asked as she and Amber came into the cabin. "The docks," Jessica answered. "The docks," Amber and Emily repeated, trying to hide the horror, "Why?" Jessica shrugged.

*

Sarah stood on the dock waiting. "Look who's out here all alone," a voice said. Sarah turned around and saw Riley, Jordan, and four other people. "What do you want? I'm waiting for someone," Sarah replied, intimidated. "I know. I heard you talking to my brother," Riley said. "When what do you want?" Sarah repeated. "You're friend Amber made a fool of me. I want revenge," the redhead told her. "What does that have to do with me?" Sarah asked. "I don't care which one of you three gets it. I just want one of you," Riley replied and then smiled, "Get her." The four boys stepped towards Sarah while Riley and her friend stood back smiling evilly. Sarah stepped to the edge of the dock. Scared she looked at the water below.

"Leave her alone, Riley," Ryan ordered and hurried to Sarah, "You alright?" Sarah nodded. "How cute. You like her, don't you?" Riley asked. "Just leave her alone," Ryan repeated. "Let me think about that. Eh, no. Get her," Riley commanded. Jordon and the others stepped even closer.

"How about a little swim?" Riley questioned. Ryan saw the horror on Sarah's face. The four boys were so close that there was little more than a foot between them. Just as the boys took the last step to push them off, Ryan pushed Sarah through the wall of boys into safety while he fell into the water.

The people on the dock heard a thud. Sarah pushed herself through the boys, dropped to her knees and looked down. Ryan floated in the water, his eyes closed. There was a wound on his temple. "Ryan!" she exclaimed, but he didn't react. Riley and the others crowded around as Ryan was being pulled out to sea by the strong current.

"What are you waiting for? Save him," Riley ordered Jordan. "Are you crazy? The current would be the end of both of you. Get help," Sarah objected, but when nobody moved she snapped, "Go get help already!" Everyone except Sarah hurried off the dock.

Sarah sat feeling helpless on the dock. Then she decided something. She stretched her hand out and tried to stop the current, but it was too hard. Panicking she looked around, but nobody was coming. "Where are they? Ryan's going to die at this rate," Sarah thought. Then she stood up and jumped off the dock. Seconds after she was submerged in the water, she turned to a mermaid.

The swimming motion came automatically to her and she swam quickly after Ryan. Sarah was amazed at how fast she reached Ryan. She pushed him up so he didn't drown. "Ryan. Ryan, hang in there," she muttered and swam back to shore.

Reaching the shore she dragged herself and Ryan on to it. Sarah put her ear to Ryan's chest. There was a beat, but faint.

"Sarah!" she heard someone exclaim. It was Amber and Emily. Sarah gave a sigh of relieve. She had thought that Amber and Emily had given up on her. "Are you alright?" Emily asked. "I'm fine, but Ryan," Sarah muttered.

Suddenly they heard voices. The others were coming back. The girls stared at each other panicking. "Get into the water. We'll take care of him," Amber hissed and Sarah obeyed.

From underwater Sarah saw Mrs. Rose and the others come, talk to Emily and Amber and then take Ryan away. Then Sarah looked around. She saw the coral reefs and the schools of fish.A dolphin swam past her. A smile crept across her face. It was an idyllic scene.

After the blonds had returned, Sarah pulled herself out of the water. "Now what? Wait until I dry?" she asked. "I might be able to help," Amber smiled and kneeled beside her. Slowly Amber balled her hand and steam rose from Sarah. "Ow, that's hot," Sarah said. Then she turned back to normal. "You found your power," Sarah smiled and Amber nodded.

"Mrs. Rose wants to see us as soon as Ryan has been examined. She wants to get to the bottom of this. She's furious," Emily told them. "I'm in trouble. There's no way Riley will admit it was her fault," Sarah replied. "Lets see what happens. Lets go to the cabin for now," Emily suggested and Sarah nodded, "Coming Amber?" "You go ahead. I've something to take care of first," Amber told them and went of into another direction. Emily and Sarah shrugged at each other, having no idea what Amber was up to.

*

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Amber said as she walked up to Jordan who sat on the beach. "What do you want from me?" he asked. "I wanted to talk to about something." "About this morning?" "No, about your Christmas holidays. Of course about this morning." "What do you want to know?"

"Riley. I bet she told you to tell Mrs. Rose that it was Sarah's fault, right?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "But I do. Did she or didn't she?" Amber asked annoyed. "Okay, she did. So what? Let me guess. You're going to tell me lying is bad," Jordan answered. "No, but are you seriously going to do everything she tells you to do?" "I don't do everything she tells me." "Don't you?" Amber questioned and gave him a sharp look.

"I don't… Okay, maybe I do," Jordan admitted, "But I also do what I want." "Really? Prove it," Amber challenged. "How?" he asked. Amber smiled.

*

"Where have you been? Mrs. Rose has already called us to her," Emily asked as Amber walked up to the office. "Oh, you know. Around," she answered. "Well hurry up. Mrs. Rose is already in a bad mood. It won't help Sarah if her mood gets worse," Emily said while Sarah paced back and forth. You could see she was nervous.

The girls entered the office and saw an angry Mrs. Rose, Riley, Jordan and the others from the dock. "First of the good news. Ryan will be alright. It was nothing too serious," Mrs. Rose told them. Emily and Amber looked relieved while Sarah gave a sigh of relieve and muttered, "Thank god." Riley showed no reaction.

"Now, I want to know exactly what happened," the councilor said sternly. Before Sarah, Emily or Amber could say anything, Riley accused, "It was her, Sarah." "It wasn't me. It was your fault," Sarah objected. "My fault. Why would I ever want to hurt my own brother?" Riley asked, with a fake innocence. "Quiet, both of you!" Mrs. Rose demanded, "Why not ask what the boys saw?"

Jordan stepped forward and said, "Riley and Sarah are both not telling the truth. It was Sarah, Amber and Emily." All the boys nodded in agreement. Riley stared astonished at Jordan. This wasn't part of her plan. The boys could not turn on her. Sarah and Emily stared at Jordan as well.

Just as Emily was about to protest, Amber elbowed her and gave her a hard stare. "It's true. Sarah, Emily, Ryan and I were fooling around on the docks. Ryan slipped and fell of the dock. That's when he must have hurt his head. Riley, Jordan and the others had just arrived when this happened," Amber lied. There was a long silence. Emily and Sarah stared at Amber confused.

"Is that how it happened?" Mrs. Rose asked. The boys and Amber nodded and after Amber had given her fellow mermaids a look, they also nodded. Fuming, Riley stared at Amber. "Very well. Everyone except you three may leave," the councilor said, pointing at Amber, Sarah and Emily. Quickly everyone else left the office.

"I am very angry with you. I have never had such trouble makers. Your night swim, the swimming from yesterday and now this. Not to mention your constant tardiness," the councilor criticized. "We're sorry. We didn't mean for Ryan to get injured," Emily said. "I hope you didn't otherwise that would be even worse. Of course I will have to punish you," Mrs. Rose told them, "Usually fooling on the docks is only one week, but since someone got injured by it and had nearly drowned, you will be excluded from swimming for two weeks."

The girls saw that as their sign to leave, but then the councilor asked, "By the way, how did Ryan get back to shore? If I'm not mistaking the current at that time should have pulled him out to sea." Quickly the girls shrugged. "May we visit Ryan?" Sarah questioned. The councilor nodded and the girls left.

Outside Emily and Sarah turned to Amber and asked, "What happened in there?" "What are you talking about?" Amber replied, playing the unknowing. "Because of you we got in trouble," Emily said. "Because of me you got out of swimming for two weeks," Amber pointed out. Emily and Sarah stared at Amber. They hadn't realized that until now. "You're right. How did you do that?" Sarah asked. "You just need the right plan," Amber smiled.

"_How?" he asked. Amber smiled. She loved it when a plan got together good. "Tell Mrs. Rose that it was the fault of Sarah, Emily and myself," she answered. Jordan stared at her as if she was crazy. "Why?" he questioned. "Just do it and make sure the boys say the same thing," Amber replied. "And what do I get if I do that?" "We'll see."_

The girls stared at Amber. That was an amazing plan, but at the same time... "That's just reckless," Emily said. "Reckless? Why?" Amber asked. "What if Jordan or Mrs. Rose hadn't done what you expected? Then we could be in a lot of trouble right now," Emily objected. "But they didn't," Amber pointed out with a smile. "Lets go visit Ryan," Sarah suggested, changing the subject. The girls nodded.

*

Ryan laid in a white infirmary bed and was awake when the girls came in. "How are you feeling?" Sarah asked. "My head hurts, but otherwise I'm fine. Well, except for the fact that I don't remember anything about how I got here," Ryan answered. "You don't remember anything," Emily repeated. "We were fooling around on the dock when you slipped and fell," Sarah said. "I would do that?" he muttered, confused. Quickly the girls nodded. "Oh, yeah, Sarah. Now I know why you asked me about mermaids," Ryan said. Emily and Amber stared at her. "You do?" Sarah asked, uncomfortable. "Back then when I was floating in the water, I saw one. A mermaid," he answered. The girls stared at Ryan.

"You hit your head too hard. Mermaids don't exist," Amber objected, quickly. "I guess you are right. Mermaids don't agreed," Ryan agreed. Then the girls had to leave.

Outside Amber and Emily glared at Sarah. "What?" she asked. "You know what," Amber said. "Why did you ask Ryan about mermaids?" Emily questioned. "I'm sorry, it's just that back then I was overwhelmed by the fact of being a mermaid," Sarah began, but when she saw her friends smile at her, she shut up. They hugged. "We'll take care of each other no matter. Even if we are sick or …," Emily started, but Amber interrupted, "But we're not married, right?" The girls laughed. "That was funny, but seriously. We can't tell anyone or we might end up in the hands of some scientists," Emily told them. The girls nodded. "Lets go to dinner," Sarah suggested. "I'll catch up," Amber replied and left.

*

On the beach Amber met Jordan. "Happy. I did it," he said. "Yes, very." "So what do I get?" "What do you want?" "A kiss. From you." "No way," Amber objected. "A deal's a deal," Jordan replied. "Fine," she gave in. Jordan lowered his head. Seconds before his lips met hers, Amber turned her face and his lips met her cheek. "Hey," he complained. "I'm not that easy to get," Amber told him, "Bye." She left, leaving a smiling Jordan.

*

Amber sat down next to Sarah and Emily. They smiled at each other. Everything was alright between them now. "Attention, campers. Tomorrow you will be allowed to go to the city. In groups, of course. The day after that we will have the beach party. You will have to help prepare. Also there will be a full moon to look at," Mrs. Rose announced.

**A/N: **Oh, oh. A full moon is coming. What will happen to the girls? And what waits them in the city? Hope you enjoyed this chapter and like always please review.


	4. Full Moon

**A/N: I hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter 4: Full Moon

The girls were getting ready to go to the city. "Say, Jessica, Sarah, have you ever been to the city?" Emily asked. "I have, but not often. My mom seems to have something against it," Sarah answered. "Well, I live there," Jessica replied, "I'm going to visit my family. How about you?" "We'll see," Amber said, "Maybe we'll go shopping or something." "There's a good mall near the amusement park," Jessica told them. "The amusement park? I think I've been there before with my class. They had that dolphin act with a dolphin called Ronnie, right?" Sarah asked. "Well, Ronnie is dead now, but yes, that's the one. His daughter does the shows now," Jessica answered.

*

After a bus ride in a noisy bus, the campers stepped off the bus. "We will meet here in 5 hours. You may do whatever you like, but do not get in trouble or be tardy," Mrs. Rose told them and gave especially Emily, Sarah and Amber a look. Then the campers scattered in all directions. "Looks really nice here," Emily. "It's not as nice as Melbourne," Amber commented. "So where do we go?" Sarah asked. "I think we should try to find some stuff out about you know what," Emily suggested. "And where do you plan to do that? Ask people on the street if they know anything about mermaids?" Amber asked. "Very funny. No. We're going to the library," Emily told them, "How far is it to the library, Sarah?" "Not far. A short walk," Sarah replied. "This will be fun. Unlike most people, we will spend our free day stuck in a boring old library," Amber muttered. "We aren't exactly normal, you know," Sarah pointed out. Amber rolled her eyes, but followed her friends down the street.

*

The library was a gigantic building made of stone and right next to the ocean. The girls sat at a table surrounded by books of legends. They had been looking at books for hours. "I give up," Amber groaned, closing her book, "I found nothing." "Same here," Sarah agreed. Emily looked up from her book. "Okay, I admit I found nothing too," she said, "But I'll read that book before we leave." "Fairytales of Mermaids by MC," Sarah read. "A book of fairytales. It's a book for kids," Amber objected. "It can't hurt," Emily replied and opened it.

After a while her eyes widened. "Listen to this tale. At a certain time and place, people can get the ability to turn into mermaids," Emily began and looked at her friends. "You mean… The pool," Sarah said. "Come on. It's a tale. This person just made it up," Amber replied annoyed. "If the mermaid looks at a full moon, she will be controlled by it and not realize what she's doing. That will stop when the moon goes under. The mermaid won't remember anything," Emily continued. "Now you're telling us the moon is evil. Come on," Amber objected. "Okay, you're right. This is just silly," Emily agreed and they put the books away. Sarah stared at the book Emily had read out of for a moment and then put it away.

"So where do we go now? We spent half out time in the library," Amber asked. "Lets go shopping for the party tonight," Sarah suggested and the other girls nodded. So they spend the rest of their time shopping, each one finding the perfect outfit for themselves.

*

That night Sarah sat on her bed. What was written in the book didn't leave her alone. For some reason it made her feel uncomfortable. "I must be crazy. It's a book. A fairytale book. It's all made up. So what if it was true about the pool," Sarah thought. Soon after she gave up and went outside. The almost full moon shone over Mako, bathing it in a mysterious light. Sarah didn't know why, but for some reason looking at Mako made her feel safe. "The place where it all began," she thought.

Just then Sarah noticed the speed boat was once again gone. She didn't get it. Why did someone keep on taking the speed boat? Sarah shook her head and went back inside. Sooner or later she fell asleep.

*

Emily stood on a ladder, putting up lanterns. "You need help?" someone asked her. "Ah, no," she replied, but then saw it was Daniel, "Well, I guess some help wouldn't be bad." He handed her a lantern. Their hands briefly touched and Emily blushed. "Thanks," she said, after putting up the last lantern and then got off the ladder. "I heard about Ryan," Daniel told her. "Oh," she muttered, uncomfortable.

"What happened?" he asked. "We fooled around on the dock, Ryan slipped and got injured," Emily answered. "You're not the type to do such things," Daniel objected. "How do you know which type I am?" she questioned. "I just do," he replied, "Excuse me. I still have stuff to take care of." "Getting the food ready?" Emily asked. "Among other things," Daniel answered and left.

"Who was that?" Amber asked as she and Sarah came up to Emily. "Daniel. He's helping out at the camp before he starts college," Emily replied. Amber and Sarah gave Emily a look. "I'm not interested in him," Emily told them. "Of course you're not," Amber answered.

"He seems nice," Sarah said. "He is, but he's too nosey," Emily replied, "He asked about Ryan." "The whole thing with Ryan attracted too much attention to us, already," Amber agreed, "We can't have Daniel, Jordan, Ryan or Riley get too close too us." Emily nodded and Sarah also nodded after a moment of hesitation.

"But the whole thing concerns Ryan too much. We should tell him the truth," Sarah told them. The blonds glared at her. "We can't, you know that. If he doesn't keep quiet we'll end up under a microscope," Emily objected. "Plus he's a lot like a scientist," Amber added, "It's too dangerous." Sarah gave up. Her friends were right.

*

The girls looked into the mirror one last time. They all looked amazing. Amber wore a black dress with straps. Sarah wore a purple dress and Emily wore a blue dress. They all had their hair open. "How do I look?" Sarah asked. "Perfect," Emily smiled. "Lets go. The party already started," Amber urged them on and they headed to the beach.

Arriving there they saw people dancing, talking and simply having fun. Sarah saw Ryan sitting on the sidelines. "I'm going to talk to Ryan," she excused herself and walked over to him.

"Hey," she greeted him, "Having fun?" "Depends what you call fun. With my injury I can't do much yet so I can only sit here and watch the others having fun." "I'm sorry." "Why are you apologizing?" "I don't know. I apologize a lot for things."

Ryan smiled at her and then said, "The sky is so beautiful tonight. The stars are shining so brightly." Sarah looked up. It was true. She scanned the sky and looked towards the ocean. Having just gone up, she saw the moon. The full moon. Sarah's heart pounded hard once as he gaze met the moon and then she got up. "You alright?" Ryan asked her. With a smile Sarah left without a word to Ryan.

*

Meanwhile Amber and Emily danced on the dance floor. Just then Amber saw Jordan, who waved her over. Amber excused herself and walked over to him. "What do you want?" she asked him. "You owe me an explanation." "For what?" "For the accident. Why did you take the blame?" "That's none of your business."

Jordan led her away from the party into the woods. "Something weird is going on here," he told her. "I don't know what you're talking about," she denied. "Oh, really," Jordan replied, closing the gap between them. Amber looked up at him. "You just want to kiss me," she accused him. "Maybe," he muttered as he leaned down to kiss her.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Sarah appeared. "There you are," she said in an unemotional voice. Amber walked up to her and asked, "What are you doing here?" "Lets go to Mako," Sarah said, but thankful only so loud that Amber could hear it. "Are you crazy?" Amber hissed. "Come on. The pool will look so beautiful in the moonlight," Sarah tempted her. "Are you okay?" Amber asked and waved her hand in front of the brunette's face, "We got to find Emily." "I got to go," Amber told Jordan and pulled Sarah behind her. Just as she stepped out of the shadow of the trees, Amber looked at the moon. Then she looked at Sarah and they nodded.

*

After Amber had left her, Emily had gone to Jessica. "Fun party, isn't it?" Jessica asked. Emily nodded. "It's the perfect weather too. No clouds or rain. Just stars and the full moon," Jessica said. Then she was asked to dance and left.

"What are you doing here all alone?" someone asked Emily. It was Daniel. "Nothing really," she answered. "Mind if I join you?" he questioned. "Not at all." "The party seems to be a lot of fun." Emily nodded and looked at the lanterns in the trees. "I think so too. The lanterns are so pretty," she replied. "I talked to Ryan. He doesn't remember anything," Daniel changed the subject. "I know," Emily replied. "You're different from the other girls," he said. "How?" she asked. "You're mysterious. Secretive," Daniel answered. "Really?" Emily questioned.

Just as Daniel was about to say something, Amber and Sarah appeared. Emily saw the weird look on her friends' faces. "Amber. Sarah," she said, "Oh, Daniel. These are my friends, Sarah and Amber." "I've heard of them. Nice to meet you," he told them. Amber and Sarah completely ignored him and said, "We need to talk to you." "I'll see you later," Daniel told Emily and left. "What do you want?" Emily asked, slightly annoyed. "Lets go to Mako," they answered. "Mako?" Emily repeated, confused, "What do you want there?" "Look," Sarah said and pointed up. Just above them the moon shone. Immediately Emily also fell into the trance of the moon.

"Coming?" Amber asked. Emily nodded and they headed for the water. Quickly they swam to Mako. Arriving at the moon pool, the water had just stopped bubbling. The moon was still visible above. The three mermaids raised their hands to the moon and did their hand signs that activated their powers. They stared at the moon in a trance.

*

The sun woke the three girls the next morning. They laid in their beds. "It's about time you woke up," Jessica said, coming in. "What time is it?" Emily asked. "9:00," Jessica answered. "Too early for me," Amber yawned. "Where were you last night?" Jessica questioned. "Last night? We were at the party," Sarah replied. "But when the storm hit you didn't come in," Jessica pointed out. "Storm?" the three girls repeated. Jessica pointed outside. Amber, Emily and Sarah stepped outside and saw the beach looked like a battlefield. Everything was destroyed. Lanterns, branches and tons of other stuff littered the beach. Astonished they first stared at beach and then at each other. They didn't know how, but they knew it. They knew they had done this.

**A/N: **How will the girls handle things having seen what their powers can do? Will they be able to handle it? Please review.


	5. Aftermath

**A/N: First of all I want to thank everyone who reads, reviews and added my story. I really appreciate it and I'm glad you like it. **

**RECH20: I do watch the third season, but the part where Sarah apologizes is from the second season when Cleo accidentally makes the water hit Charlotte, but you're right. Cleo also apologizes in the third season as well. I was thinking of the Cleo-Charlotte scene when I wrote that, however and I'm not sure what you meant with the sentence about Ryan.**

Chapter 5: Aftermath

The girls didn't know how long they stood there staring at the destroyed beach. "What did we do?" Sarah asked, shocked. "I don't remember," Amber answered. "The last thing I remember is that I was talking to Daniel and then you guys came. I think you were acting weird," Emily recalled. "Now that you mention it, I was talking to Jordan when Sarah came. She was acting weird so I wanted to bring her to you," Amber added. "I only remember looking at the stars with Ryan," Sarah admitted.

Then it struck Sarah. "The book!" she exclaimed. "What book?" Amber asked. "The book from the library. That fairytale book. Remember what it said," Sarah answered. "It said that if a mermaid saw the full moon, she would fall into a trance and remember nothing," Emily remembered. "As you're saying…," Amber began. "We saw a full moon," Emily ended.

Just then Jessica came past them. "Say, Jessica. What exactly happened last night?" Sarah asked. "Well first everything was normal. Then a strong wind picked up all of the sudden and clouds covered the sky. The wind blew everything down and lightning began to flash. It hit the beach several times and just barely missed people. Everyone evacuated into their cabins and the storm stayed out there until the sun rose. It was like a hurricane," Jessica told them and left again. "Clouds. Wind. Lightning," Emily said and pointed at each of them.

"We have to find that book," Sarah told them. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but lets go to the library," Amber replied and Emily nodded. The girls hurried to the water. "Where are you going?" someone asked. They turned to see Daniel. "We forgot something on the beach last night and we want to see if we can find it," Amber quickly lied and pulled her friends to the water, leaving a baffled Daniel. After checking that nobody saw them, the girls dived into the water.

*

In the library the girls hurried to the fairytale section. "What was it called again?" Amber asked. "Fairytales of Mermaids by MC," Sarah remembered and scanned the shelves, but where the book should have been, it wasn't there. "Where is it? It was here yesterday," Sarah asked. "Maybe it was checked out," Emily suggested. "Who in the right mind would check that book out?" Amber questioned. "A little girl," Sarah suggested as they walked to the reception.

A woman sat behind the desk. "What can I do for you?" she asked. "Fairytales of Mermaids by MC," Sarah answered. The librarian typed it into the computer and told them, "It's checked out and will be back in two weeks." "May we know who checked it out?" Emily asked, sweetly. "We don't give out that information," the librarian answered.

The three girls were about to walk off when Amber nudged Sarah. Amber gestured towards the glass of water on the table and Sarah understood. At her side she moved her hand and a gust of wind knocked the glass of water into the librarians lap. Cursing she got up and hurried off.

With a smile Amber jumped behind the computer and searched. "Found it," she smiled, "But it's checked out by a usual visitor. The name isn't stated." Discouraged the girls left the library. "It's a dead end. What now?" Sarah asked. "We should get back to camp. They're probably looking for us," Emily suggested and they dived into the ocean.

*

Back at camp, the girls came just in time to hear Mrs. Rose say, "Tomorrow we will clean up the beach. For today make sure the cabins didn't take any damage." The three mermaids want to go to their cabin, but Jordan came up.

"What's going on here?" he asked Amber after he had led her away from the others. "What are you talking about?" she questioned. "You leave with Sarah and 10 minutes later that freak storm comes out of nowhere." "What does that have to do with me?" "Don't play dumb. Jessica asked me where you were? You were gone." "You know what? I think Ryan wasn't the only one that hit his head." Amber wanted walk away, but Jordan grabbed her hand. "I will find out what happened," he told her and then let her go.

*

Jordan wasn't the only one that was interested in the freak storm. Ryan was also interested. He talked to Sarah about it. "Something like this hasn't happened in 25 years," he told her. "25 years?" Sarah repeated. "Yeah. I heard it from my parents. It was a pretty bad storm, like this one. It also came out of nowhere." "Really?" Ryan nodded and asked, "Where were you last night? Why did you leave so suddenly?" "I-I I wasn't feeling well," Sarah lied. "I see," Ryan said and seemed to accept it.

*

"We have a problem," Amber and Sarah said at the same time as they came into the cabin. "What happened?" Emily asked. "Ryan asked about yesterday," Sarah answered just as Amber answered, "Jordan asked about yesterday." "One at a time," Emily told them. "Ryan asked about yesterday, but I was able to distract him from it," Sarah replied. "Jordan asked about yesterday as well, but he won't leave it alone. He's determined to find out the truth," Amber explained. "That bad," Emily agreed.

"Ryan said on other thing. He said a weird storm like the one we created last happened 25 years ago," Sarah told them. "Are you saying…," Emily and Amber began and Sarah ended, nodding, "That's right. I think other mermaids were once here."

Just then Jessica came in. The girls immediately shut up. "Is something wrong? You can continue talking," Jessica said. "No, we're done," Amber replied, coldly. Jessica gave them a look.

*

That night Amber got out of bed. She silently crept out of the cabin and walked towards the beach. Just as Amber got to the site where the party had been, she saw two other people. All three of them gave a scream. Then Amber noticed it was Emily and Sarah.

"You scared me," Amber said. "You scared me," Sarah replied. "Same here," Emily added. "What are you doing here?" they asked at the same time. "Cleaning the beach," the girls answered at the same time. They laughed. "I feel responsible for what happened so I wanted to clean up," Sarah confessed. The blonds nodded.

Silently they began picking up things and clearing the beach. Sarah broke the silence saying, "I'm scared of my powers." The other two girls came up to her. "Because of this?" Emily asked. "There's nothing to worry about," Amber replied, acting tough. "You heard what our powers did. They were like a hurricane and your lightning nearly hit people. The worst part is that we couldn't do anything to stop it," Sarah answered. "I'm scared too," Emily confessed, "I didn't think my powers would be that powerful." Amber gave up her act and said, "Same here. I didn't think something like this would ever happen."

"What do we do when the next full moon comes? If we look at the full moon again, we could possibly destroy the entire city," Sarah asked. "Now I think you're overreacting. As long as we don't look at the moon, we'll be fine," Emily answered and put her arm around Sarah. "How do we do that? Lock ourselves up once a month?" Amber questioned. "I don't know, but it doesn't have to come to us looking at the moon," Emily replied. "Lets try to get some sleep," Sarah suggested, not wanting a clash between her friends. They were done cleaning up anyway.

The blonds nodded and they entered the cabin. Though they didn't say it all three of them laid in their beds awake. "They're both right. If we don't look at the moon it won't happen, but how? I don't think I would be able to handle it if I accidentally hurt someone," Sarah thought, but felt a bit comforted by the fact that her friends were also afraid.

Below her Amber wondered, "Why did I tell them I felt scared? I guess this is what happens when you are in the same situation as someone else. You understand each other. Even a loner like me. But what can we do against the moon?"

Across from Amber Emily thought, "There has to be a logical way to not look at the moon and a reason we became mermaids. Why us? Just because we were in that pool while the moon was over it? So many questions, no answers." All three girls found little sleep that night

*

The next morning after breakfast while the others had swimming, the girls wanted to go to Mako. Just as they were about to leave, Amber's phone rang. Caller ID showed it was her mother, Rikki. "Hi, mom," Amber said. "Hi, Amber. How are you? How's camp?" Rikki asked. Amber gestured her friends to go on ahead and they did. "Camp's fine. My cabin mates are okay," Amber answered. "And how are you?" Rikki repeated. Amber hesitated. What should she say? She could hardly tell her mother what had happened. She would never believe her. Amber didn't see why she couldn't just lie to her mother. She had lied to her quite a few times.

"I'm.. fine," Amber replied. "You sure? That didn't sound too convincing," her mother questioned. "I'm fine," Amber repeated firm and annoyed, "What do you want?" "I heard there was a storm near you. I wanted to know if you're alright," Rikki told her. "Well, now you know. Listen I got to go. Mrs. Rose, your councilor, is waiting for me. We're swimming," Rikki's daughter lied.

"I don't want to keep you up, but I want to tell you that I'll be visiting you soon on Parent's Day," Rikki said. "You are?" Amber asked, surprised. She hadn't expected her mother to come to visit her. "That's great. I can't wait. I got to go. Bye," Amber lied and quickly hung up. Amber knew she could lie to her mother on the phone without her noticing, but it was a different story if she was standing in front of her in person. It would be hard to keep the whole mermaid thing a secret. Amber knew she had to talk to Emily and Sarah about it and ran for the beach.

*

Arriving at the pool, Emily and Sarah were already there and were resting their heads on the edge of the pool. "What did you're mother want?" Emily asked. "She told me she was coming to visit on Parent's Day," Amber answered. "That's great," Sarah, smiled. "No, it's not. I'm not sure I can keep the whole mermaid thing a secret from her," Amber objected, "Say, are your parents coming?"

"My mom is. I can't wait even if my dad and brother aren't coming," Emily smiled. "I only have a mother, but she's also coming," Sarah said. There was a hint of pain in her voice. "Sorry. We didn't know," Emily replied. "It's okay. I never met my father and my mom never talks about him. Besides, it's fine. Just the two of us," Sarah told them.

"Will you be able to lie to them?" Amber asked, bringing them back to the subject. Emily and Sarah just floated there and were dumbstruck. Finally Sarah broke the silence, "I don't think I can lie to her. I mean she has always been there for me." "I can't either. We have an honesty policy in our family. We tell each other the truth," Emily told them. "Then I guess you will tell her. That'll be interesting. Hey mom. I just wanted to tell you that if I get wet, I'll turn into a fish," Amber replied, sarcastically. "I get it. I can't tell her," Emily said, "What about you, Sarah?" "I won't tell either. You're right. It's too dangerous," Sarah agreed.

"But what about our current problem?" Emily asked. "What can we do? There is no way out. For the rest of your life, we'll turn into hypnotized zombies when we see the moon," Amber objected. Sarah stared at Amber a bit scared. "Not funny. Be serious. It's not like we have to look at the moon. We'll just make sure to go to bed early on nights, when there is a full moon. That way we can't see the moon," Emily explained.

"But what if we do accidentally see the moon?" Amber questioned. "We tell one person the truth. A person that we trust and can, if needed, help us. The normal person can stop us then," Emily suggested. "And who should that be?" Amber asked. "How about Jessica?" Sarah recommended. "That's a good idea," Emily agreed. "So you're saying we should tell her that we're mermaids so she can protect us? No way," Amber asked.

"Why not? Jessica is our roommate. That makes it so much easier," Sarah objected. "Plus it's not like she's a monster. She's very nice and not too nosey. On top of all that she likes marine biology and she has lived near her entire life. Jessica probably knows a lot of things about Mako and the area," Emily told them.

Amber stared at her friends astonished. If she was honest, she didn't like Jessica a lot. Something about her just made Amber distrust her a lot. Besides hadn't they made a promise not to tell anyone. "I think we shouldn't rush such a decision. Maybe it's just the shock from damage the storm made," Amber lied, trying to buy time until she had a better idea.

"It's not a shock. Amber, I've realized that I can't control my powers. That we can't control our powers. We need help. We need to tell someone," Sarah objected. You could hear fear in her voice. "Lets wait a week. It won't make a big difference," Amber told them. "We'll wait, but if it gets too dangerous, we tell Jessica," Emily proposed. "Fine," Amber agreed, giving an inner sigh of relief, that she bought more time. Emily and Sarah on the other hand weren't so relaxed. Both knew they need someone to talk to. A normal person, who would help and understand them.

**A/N: **Will the girl be able to find someone who understands them? Will they be able to trust that person? Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review.


	6. Confidant

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**RECH20 I also read that there will be a Ryan in season 3, but I chose the name because I liked it and they have nothing to do with one another. They just have the same name coincidentally. Hope that answers you question.**

**vampiricmermaid ****Yes I like your idea unfortunately Parent's Day is in the next chapter and I have another idea. **

Chapter 6: Confidant

It's been two days since the meeting on Mako. Like the girls had promised they waited with their decision to tell Jessica the truth, to Amber's relief, but their troubles and worries still plagued them. "Let go to that rocky beach," Amber suggested. "Sounds good. The others are swimming anyway. That means we have about a hour before we have to be back," Sarah agreed. Just then Emily's phone rang. "Go on ahead to the beach. I'll make it short," Emily told them and they nodded and left. "Hello. This is Emily speaking," she answered the phone. "Hi, Emily. It's your mother," Emma said. "Mom! It's so good to hear from you. How are you?" Emily asked. "I'm fine. How's my favorite daughter?" "I'm your only daughter. I'm fine. I've become really good friends with my cabin mates. It's really beautiful here and everyone is really nice."

"I can imagine it. How's the swimming? Are you still practicing?" Emma asked. Emily's eyes widened and she froze for a moment. "…Of course. They can't keep me out of the water. Swimming's really cool," she lied uncomfortably. "It's one of the reasons you wanted to go so badly. Don't forget I'm coming to visit in a few days." "What?" Emily asked and then remembered, "Oh, right. Parent's Day. By the way, how are dad and James?" "They're both fine, but they miss you." "Tell them that I love and miss them too." "I will. See you soon. Bye," Emma said. "Bye," Emily replied and hung up. She gave a sigh of relief. Her mother hadn't noticed how uncomfortable the topic of swimming was for her. Careful Emily placed her cell phone on the desk and went to the beach to find Sarah and Amber.

"Everything go alright?" Sarah asked. "Yeah. My mom isn't very nosy. She respects people's privacy," Emily answered. "Lets go. I'll race you," Amber challenged Emily and they dove into the water.

*

The girls were laying on a large flat boulder that was right in front of the ocean. The beach was tucked away between rock ledges so know one was saw them or was around. They let the sun shine down on their tails. "I so won," Emily cheered. "You did not. I won by like a mile," Amber objected. "Please. You saw only my tail fin the whole race," Emily protested.

"Why can't you two just enjoy the scenery?" Sarah asked. "Is that your excuse for being last?" Amber questioned. "Zooming through the water isn't everything," Sarah objected. "But it's the most fun," Amber said. "I agree," Emily replied.

The girls laughed and talked so much and loud that they didn't hear it until it was too late. They heard something drop into the sand. The mermaids turned and saw a man standing beside the boulder, staring at them. The mermaids immediately went quiet and gasped. The man, who looked around 40, had blond hair and brown eyes. In his hands were a fishing pole. A bait box was on the sand. The man must have dropped it. "Run," Emily ordered and began sliding into the water. "Wait! I won't harm you! Come back!" the man exclaimed after he was out of his shock, but the mermaids didn't listen and swam off. The man stood at the edge of the water and stared first at the boulder, where the mermaids had laid, then from the water to Mako Island.

*

Amber, Sarah and Emily were now back on the shore of their camp. Amber used her magic and dried them all. "What do we do? That guy saw us," Emily panicked. "Don't worry. There's no way he will ever be able to find us. He has no idea who we are," Amber said, "Besides, it's not like we are locals." "It doesn't matter if he recognized us this time. The problem is that he now will look for us. If he sees us the next time, we could be in serious danger. Or worse. If he finds out we have a connection to the storm or to Mako Island," Emily replied, not calming down.

"Now you're overreacting. Unless that guy has the best lungs in the world, he can't swim as far, fast or deep as us," Amber objected. "That's not my point. If he tells other people, they will also look for us. Soon maybe hundreds of people will search the ocean and we won't be able to hid forever," Emily told her. "You forgot that people first have to believe him and come on, how many people will believe that he saw three mermaids. Seriously, we're no longer in the middle ages where people killed each other just cause they believed they were witches. I say we have nothing to worry about, right Sarah?" Amber asked Sarah, who until that point had just stood next to her friends and looked thoughtfully at the ocean.

Sarah didn't react. "Hello, Sarah. You there?" Amber questioned, waving her hand in front of the brunette's face. Finally Sarah snapped out of her trance. "Sorry, it's just… I think I know that man," Sarah confessed. "What!?" the blonds exclaimed and stared at her. "How? From where?" Emily asked. "I'm not sure. His face just seemed so familiar. I just can't put my finger on it," Sarah admitted, uneasy.

"Familiar as in famous or as a person you have met before?" Amber questioned. "Neither. I can't really explain it," Sarah told them. "So he doesn't know or would recognize you?" Emily concluded. "I don't know if he knows me, but I'm pretty sure he didn't recognize me, I mean I don't even really know him. He just seems familiar," Sarah said, "Let me think about it."

For the rest of the day Sarah thought about that man, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Where did she know him from? Her thoughtfulness made Emily nervous while Amber just sat back and watched her fellow mermaids. "Damn it. I can't remember," Sarah cursed that night as she sat down on her bed. "Then at least don't talk about today. I'm going crazy," Emily said. "It's quite obvious to anyone that spend the entire day with you. Mrs. Rose must have thought, you two were playing a trick on her, since you never answered when she called you," Amber smiled, thinking about how Mrs. Rose had yelled at Emily and Sarah and told them to pay attention repeatedly today.

*

The next morning the girl had just entered the mess hall when Mrs. Rose came up to them. "Sarah, you have a visitor," she told them. "A visitor?" Sarah repeated, confused, having no idea who it could be. "A family friend. He's waiting in my office for you," Mrs. Rose said, "Oh, I nearly forgot. He asked to see Emily and Amber as well." The councilor left, leaving three puzzled girls. "Any ideas who it is?" Amber asked. "No clue," Sarah answered as they left the mess hall.

*

Entering the office, Emily, Sarah and Amber stopped frozen in their tracks when they saw the visitor. It was the man from the beach. "Hello, girls," he said. "Who are you, how do you know us and what do you want?" Amber asked. You could her the danger in her voice.

Just as the man was about to say something, Sarah exclaimed, "Now I remember! You're Lewis McCartney!" Now it was the man's turn to be surprised. "How do you know my name?" he asked. After having more time to look at the man's face Sarah had remembered where she had seen him.

"You know my mother. I saw you on a picture with her when she was younger. I wanted to know who you were and searched through her old yearbooks until I found you," Sarah explained. "Yes, I am Lewis McCartney. I was a good friend of your mother's, Sarah," the man introduced himself.

"That still doesn't answer all my questions," Amber objected. "I came here wanting to know if it's true. Are you really mermaids?" he asked. "Why would we tell you? For all we know you could sell us out," Amber shot back. "I'll tell you something. You're not the first mermaids I have met," Lewis told them. The girls stared at them. "Yeah, right," Amber replied, not buying it. "I believe you. If my mother was your friend, then I believe you," Sarah said.

"McCartney… MC. Wait a minute. Could it be that you wrote that book?" Emily asked. "You mean Fairytales of Mermaids by MC. Yes, that would be me," Lewis confirmed. "Then you know about Mako?" Sarah concluded and Lewis nodded. "Well, to have written that book he must have known Mako Island, which means you have met other mermaids," Emily said.

"May I ask you something? When did you become mermaids?" Lewis asked. "A bit over a week ago," Sarah answered. "Over a week ago," Lewis repeated, baffled and confused. How could that be? There hadn't been a full moon last week. "Then that storm," he began, but stopped when he saw all three girls become uncomfortable. "That was us. We were under the spell of the moon and now we're completely insecure. We've seen what our powers can do and we know that we can't control them," Emily told him.

"So you're scared that if you see the moon again, you could hurt someone. If you want, I'll help you learn control," Lewis offered them. "Thank you," Sarah smiled. "Then come to my house this afternoon. It's right down by the beach. You can't miss it if you swim along the beach upwards," he told them. "Mrs. Rose will never allow us to leave the camp," Amber objected.

Just then Mrs. Rose came in. "Is everything alright in here?" she asked. "Everything is fine," Sarah answered. "Mrs. Rose, may I take these three out this afternoon? I promise they'll be back by dinner," Lewis asked, politely. "Very well, but if they are late, there will be consequences," the councilor told them, "Now come girls. We're leaving for the museum soon." Mrs. Rose left. The girls were about to leave as well when Lewis said, "Sarah, don't tell your mother you met me." Confused Sarah nodded and then they left.

Lewis sat in the office alone. "They look just like you. They're even mermaids like you, but they didn't get their powers on a full moon. I'll figure that out later," he thought and smiled. Right now, he was only glad to be part of that magic again

*

Shortly before they were going to leave Sarah got a call. "Hello," she said. "Hi, Sarah. It's me," a female voice answered. "Mom! How are you?" Sarah asked. "I'm fine. How are you?" Cleo replied. "I'm doing alright. My cabin mates are very nice and we are getting along well," Sarah said. "Is it everything you hoped of?" Cleo questioned. "And more. I'm having a great time," Sarah lied a bit. "What about swimming?" Cleo asked. "I'm getting used to it. At first I was uneasy," Sarah answered.

"That's good. I can't wait to see you. You haven't forgotten that I'm coming for Parent's Day, right?" Cleo questioned. "How could I?" Sarah laughed. "Have you met any interesting people?" her mother asked. Sarah froze for a moment. She thought of Lewis. Should she tell her mom of him? "Sarah? You still there?" Cleo questioned. "Yeah. Sorry, I spaced out. No. No one," Sarah answered, "See you soon. Bye." With that Sarah hung up. She hurried to the beach where she met Amber and Emily.

*

Zooming through the water behind her friends, Sarah wondered, "Why doesn't Lewis want me to tell mom I met him. From the look on the picture they could have been best friends or even more." She called the picture back into her memory. A young Cleo with a young Lewis, who had his arm around her shoulder. They looked so happy. Why hadn't they married? Why hadn't her mother ever talked about him if he was one of her friends? So many questions, no answers.

*

Lewis was waiting for them when they swam up to the beach. The beach where Lewis had his house was completely vacant. Nobody was around. The three mermaids that looked exactly like their mothers, made him smile and recall many great memories. "Glad you came," he said after they had dried off, "First of all I need to know what power you have." "I can move water and wind," Sarah said. "I freeze things and make snow," Emily told him. "And I boil things and create lightning," Amber added.

"Wait a minute," Lewis said and went into his house. He came back with three deflated blow up animals. First he blew them up and then placed one in front of each girl. The girls looked at him as if he were crazy. "You're kidding, right?" Amber asked. "No. Volunteers first," he told them. The girls looked from one to another, none of them wanting to go first. "Okay. How about you Emily?" Lewis suggested. She nodded and stepped forward. In front of her sat an inflated penguin in the water. "Now concentrate hard, make small movements and believe in yourself. Remember these are your powers. You must control them," Lewis told her.

Emily nodded and lifted her right hand. She put her hand out like a stop sign. Slowly she used her magic. Suddenly not only the penguin was covered in ice, but part of the ocean too. Then the penguin exploded, making pieces of plastic and ice fly everywhere. Emily clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry. I hope you don't need that anymore," she said. "No. It's okay. We're here to work on it," Lewis replied.

"Cool. Me next," Amber told them and stepped forward. Lewis placed a red-orange jellyfish in front of her. "Slowly," he reminded her. "Yeah, yeah," she replied and lifted her hand. "Definitely Rikki's daughter," Lewis thought and shook his head. Amber slowly balled her hand. Suddenly the jellyfish was struck by lightning and burst into flames. Everyone jumped back. Amber just stared at the burning wreck.

"That just leaves you, Sarah," Lewis said and turned to the brunette after he had regained his composure. When he saw her face, he sensed problems. He could see she hadn't taken the two explosions too well. Lewis tried to ignore it and placed a dolphin in front of her. "I don't know," Sarah began. "Don't worry. I'm here. I'll help you in case something goes wrong," he told her.

"Fine," she gave in and turned to the dolphin. Just as she had brought up her hand, Lewis interrupted, "Remember. Small movements." "I got it," Sarah muttered, annoyed. Slowly she moved her hand. All of the sudden the dolphin was sucked under water. There was a quiet pop and then bubbles came to the surface, followed by the destroyed dolphin.

Sarah just stood there for a moment, but then jumped into ocean. "Sarah!" Amber and Emily exclaimed and were about to jump after her, but Lewis held them back. "You stay here. I'll follow her," he told them. The girls nodded and the man jumped into his boat.

*

Sarah floated in the pool. When she had seen what Amber and Emily had done she had gotten scared and after she saw what she had done, she had panicked.

"I thought I would find you here," she heard someone say. Sarah turned to see Lewis. "You alright?" he asked. "Not sure. Those powers… I can't control such powers," she answered. "You wouldn't have been given them, if you couldn't," he objected. "It's just I'm scared. What if in the next full moon, I kill someone? I could never handle that," Sarah asked. "I promise to help you. All of you. I won't let you get hurt," Lewis told her.

For some reason, Sarah believed him. "Besides, you've been friends with Amber and Emily for a long time, haven't you? They won't abandon you," he said. "But I met Amber and Emily for the first time during camp," Sarah replied. "Well, you seem to get along very well, so I thought…," Lewis began. "It's okay. They are great. How they can live with this change," she admitted. "I'll be honest with you. I think they're just as scared as you. They can just hid it better," he told her.

"Can I ask you something? Who were the other mermaids you met?" Sarah asked. Lewis' mind went haywire, thinking of what to say next. "Well, I promised them I wouldn't tell. But I can tell you, you aren't the first to doubt," he lied. "And I understand that. I wouldn't want other people to know either. You're a good person, Lewis," she smiled. "Lets go back. Amber and Emily are waiting," he said and stretched his hand out to her. With a smile Sarah accepted the hand and let herself be lifted out of the water.

*

Amber and Emily were sitting bored on the beach waiting for Lewis and Sarah to return. "There they come," Emily said and pointed to the horizon. A while later they docked the boat on the shore. Sarah jumped off. "Are you alright?" Emily asked. "I'm fine. Thanks to Lewis. Lets continue. We don't have much time left," Sarah replied.

"Very well. Well, I guess it's needless to say you can't control your powers well, but we can fix that. Follow me," Lewis told them and led them to his house. Inside everything was very neat for a guy living alone. Everything was were it should be.

In the living room three stands with blank pieces of canvas were put up. A picture of a butterfly was clipped to each of them. "What? We're painting now?" Amber asked. "Yes. A Japanese painting style to be exact. You use small and precise strokes," Lewis replied, "Like this." He took a brush and painted a few small strokes. "Go on ahead. I'll be right back," he told them.

He left and the girls stared at each other. "He can't be serious. First the blow up animals and now painting. This guy is making fun of us," Amber said. "It does seem a bit weird," Emily agreed. "A bit. Try very weird," Amber replied. "Come on, you guys. What other choice do we have? Besides he isn't that kind of a person. Try it," Sarah told them and began painting, though her strokes weren't that good. "And how do you know what kind of person he is?" Amber asked. Sarah froze for a moment. How did she know? "I just do. Try it," Sarah repeated. "I guess it won't hurt," Emily agreed and also began. Rolling her eyes, Amber gave up and also started.

After a while Amber put down her brush, annoyed. She didn't have a lot of patience. Emily and Sarah turned to her as she put her hand up. Amber aimed at the glass full of water on the table. Carefully she balled her fist. After a while the water began to boil and steam. With a smile Amber stepped back.

"Me next," Emily said and stepped forward. On a table stood a bowl of fruit. She aimed for a small grape. Then the grape froze. Emily smiled, feeling relieved.

Sarah took all her confidence and turned to a glass of water that had turned a shade of purple. Moving her hand slowly, a ball of water came up. Suddenly it shook a lot and then splashed onto a canvas. "It's okay," Amber said. "You'll get it next time," Emily told her. "I already have," she smiled and showed her friends the canvas. On it you could see the outlines of three mermaids. All three girls smiled at each other.

Lewis came back. "How did it go?" he asked. "Good. Thank you," Sarah answered. "Yes you were a big help," Emily agreed. "I have to admit it helped," Amber added, grudgingly. "Glad I could help, but you have to hurry back to camp or Mrs. Rose will be very angry," Lewis told them. Looking out the window, the girls saw that the sun was low in the sky. "You're right," Emily replied as they hurried to the beach. "Listen. If you ever need me, come to me or call me. You have my number. I promise I'll help you," he said. "Thanks again, Lewis. Bye," Sarah replied and the three girls jumped into the water. With that they were gone.

*

Back in his house, Lewis looked at the picture, Sarah had made. He took it from the stand and carried it into the hallway. There hung another picture of a mermaid, but in orange. Lewis looked from one to the other. What Sarah had told him confused him. "Why didn't they meet earlier? You are best friends," he wondered, "Why didn't you tell them the truth about yourself? About your past?" So many questions that he didn't have an answer to. Lewis hated that. He liked things clear and explained.

*

The girls were lucky and had made it just in time for dinner. "How was your afternoon girls?" Mrs. Rose asked. "We had a nice afternoon," Sarah answered. "Don't forget girls. Parent's Day is soon," the councilor reminded them. The girls looked at each other. Can they keep their secret from their mothers?

**A/N: **Parent's Day is around the corner. Can the girls keep it a secret? What happens when the mothers and daughters meet again after the lives of their daughters have been completely turned upside down. Please review. I'll try to bring the next chapter out around Christmas as a present so to say.


	7. Parent’s Day

**A/N: I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. I also want to thank everyone who reads and reviews my story. Enjoy.**

**waken5 If your asking if Amber has figured out that her mother is a mermaid, then no. Amber doesn't know her mother is a mermaid.  
**

Chapter 7: Parent's Day

Parent's Day finally arrived. The girls were excited, but at the same time nervous. They were in their cabin. "Aren't you excited about seeing your parents?" Jessica asked them. "We are," Cleo answered and tried to put on a cheerful smile. "Doesn't seem like it," Jessica said. "Listen. I don't think it's any of your business what we're feeling," Amber replied, firmly and gave her a hard look. "Whatever. See you tonight," Jessica told them and left.

"Wasn't that a bit harsh, Amber? She was only trying to be nice," Sarah asked. "She's being too nosey," Amber answered. "No, you're being ridiculous," Emily said, "She isn't evil. She's our roommate."

Amber didn't reply and checked that her clothes looked good. "Where are you going anyway? Dressing up like that," Sarah asked. "I'm meeting my mom in a restaurant," she replied, "What about you guys?" "I'm meeting my mom at the airport, but she wouldn't say where we were going," Emily said. "After I pick up my mom from the bus station, we're going to the amusement park," Sarah added. "That sounds like water to me," Amber replied. "Don't worry. My mom isn't a big fan of water so staying away from water shouldn't be that hard," Sarah told them.

"Remember, we're not telling them what we are," Emily reminded them. Sarah and Amber nodded. "Hey, why don't we meet back here in the afternoon with our mothers. I would love to meet them," Sarah suggested. "Why not. I'm sure that's a great idea and my mom will love it," Emily agreed. Amber nodded as she looked at the clock on the wall and said, "Lets go. It's almost 10:30. We don't want to keep our mothers waiting."

*

Amber followed a waiter to her table. The restaurant was fancy, very fancy. Her family had the money to eat at such restaurants. The only thing that annoyed Amber was that she had to dress up or she wouldn't even be allowed in. In the corner of the restaurant she saw her mother, Rikki, who got up to greet her daughter. They hugged and Rikki said, "It's good to see you. Let me look at you." Amber stepped back and twirled around once. Her mother smiled an approval. "You look great," Rikki told her as they sat down and got the menu.

After they had ordered, Rikki asked, "So how is camp?" "Okay. In the morning we swim and in the afternoons we do hikes and such," Amber answered. "I told you, you would be glad you went," Rikki smiled. "I never said I was glad I went," Amber reminded her mother.

"So how are your cabin mates?" Rikki questioned after a moment of silence. "They're okay. Sarah, Emily and I are getting along well. The other girl, Jessica, is also okay," Amber half lied, "That reminds me. Sarah wants to meet you this afternoon. Will you come?" "Sure. I would love to meet your friends, but my flight leaves at 3," Rikki smiled.

Just then the waiter came with their drinks, but for some reason, he tripped and a drink landed on Amber's head and dress. She just stared for a moment and then jumped up. "Amber!" Rikki exclaimed as her daughter hurried to where the girl's bathroom was indicated to be. Seconds before she transformed, she locked the stall door behind her and then turned into a mermaid. "Damn it," Amber cursed as she waited to dry.

*

Meanwhile Emily waved to her mother, who came out of the terminal. They hurried up to each other and hugged. Then they gave each other a kiss on the cheek. "It seems you're well," Emma smiled, "Lets call a taxi and get going."

"Where are we going?" Emily asked. "We're going to a giant swimming pool near here," Emma answered. Thankfully Emma had turned to look around so she didn't see the color leave Emily's face. "Swimming… pool," she stammered. "Yes. I thought it would be nice to swim together again," Emma told her. "But… but I don't have a bathing suit with me," Emily objected. "Don't worry. I brought one of yours from home. I wanted it to be a surprise," Emma replied. "That definitely worked," Emily said meekly. "Then lets go," Emma told her. "You know, I don't feel like swimming today," Emily lied, granting her a surprised look from her mother, who knew Emily loved swimming over everything else, "It's just I already saw every day for two weeks so I wanted a break for today." "And what do you want to do instead?" Emma asked her daughter. "Lets go shopping on the pier," Emily suggested and her mother agreed. So after the taxi arrived, they headed for the pier.

Arriving at the pier, Emily and Emma went to several shops and then walked along the beach with some ice cream. "So how are things at camp?" Emma asked. "Great. We swim everyday, go on hikes and visit the city. It's a lot of fun," Emily answered, "And my cabin mates are really nice. I get along with Amber, Sarah and Jessica very well. Say mom. Sarah wants to meet you this afternoon at camp. Will you come?" "Of course. I can't wait to meet her, but my plane leaves at 3," Emma replied.

While they talked, Emily hadn't noticed they had gotten closer to the ocean. Then a small wave splashed her foot. Quickly Emily turned around and bolted off towards the pier. "Where are you going?" Emma asked. "I have to go to the bathroom! Lets meet in front of the ferris wheel!" Emily called to her mother. In the shade under the pier, Emily dove into the water. She swam until she found a place where there were no people around and pulled herself ashore. Laying in the hot sun, Emily muttered, "Come on. Hurry up."

*

Meanwhile at the bus station, Sarah greeted her mother with a hug. "Hi, sweetie. How are you? How's camp?" Cleo asked. "I'm fine and camp is just like what I imagined. It's just great. My cabin mates are awesome. You just have to meet Amber and Emily," Sarah smiled, trying to be her happy self. "Calm down. We have the whole day to talk," Cleo replied, happy her daughter was having fun.

They walked to the amusement park since it was close to the bus station. "Mom, will you do me a favor?" Sarah asked as they entered the amusement park, "Can we go to the camp later? I want to introduce you to my friends." "Sure, but I have to take the bus at 3," Cleo answered as they strolled through the park, "So where do you want to go?" "Lets go to the dolphins," Sarah suggested.

At the dolphin tanks, Cleo asked, "So did you become a swimming ace yet?" "Very funny mom. I swam a lot, but I'm only as good as a normal swimmer. My friend, Emily, however is an amazing swimmer," Sarah answered. "As long as you are happy, I'm happy," Cleo smiled and looked at the dolphins, who were frolicking through the water.

"Mom, can I ask you something?" Sarah asked and Cleo nodded, "Were you in this city often as a teenager?" Finally, Sarah had asked one of the questions that just wouldn't leave her alone. "No. I lived in Brisbane. I hardly never came here," Cleo lied. Sarah frowned, but her mother didn't see it. Why was her mother lying to her? Sarah thought back at the yearbook. It was from a school in the Gold Coast. She had lived in the Gold Coast. "When you were my age did you have a very special friend?" Sarah questioned, thinking of the picture with Lewis. "A special friend? No. I had good friends, but special friend, no," Cleo lied again. "Why is she lying?" Sarah wondered, silently. "Why do you suddenly want to know so much about my youth?" Cleo asked Sarah. "No reason. Just curious," Sarah answered, quickly.

They looked at the dolphin tank, where Ronnie's daughter, Kylie was jumping through the air. Just then she swam up to them and gave a click at them. She splashed water at them with her nose. Sarah jumped back, barely missing the water. "She's just like Ronnie," Cleo smiled, "I love dolphins. They're so friendly." Sarah nodded in agreement.

Sarah and Cleo walked along the park past tanks and rides. They stopped at a stand to grab a bit to eat. While Cleo paid, Sarah waited on a bench. What Sarah didn't realize until it was too late, was that the bench was right beside the water roller coaster. Just as she sat there a boat came down the ride's slope and a giant wave came over her, drenching her. Sarah's eyes widened as she looked around. Her mother was still busy and nobody was watching her. Quickly Sarah jumped into a tank.

*

Back in the bathroom, Amber was getting annoyed. How long did it take to dry? "As long as mom doesn't come though I'll be alright," Amber thought. As though fate wanted to annoy her even more, Amber heard the bathroom door open.

"Amber. Amber, are you alright?" she heard a voice, Rikki's voice, ask. Amber uttered a silent curse. "Are you here?" Rikki questioned. "Yes, I'm fine," Amber finally answered. She saw her mother was trying to open the door. "Don't come in," Amber ordered, firmly and tried to get into a more comfortable position as she pushed against the door. "Are you really alright?" Rikki repeated, "I'm fine. I'm just going to clean up. Go back to the table. I'll be back in a minute," Amber replied. She heard Rikki sigh and then leave.

Amber gave a sigh of relieve. "Thank god," she muttered, but then remembered she was still a mermaid, "I hate this." She tapped her fingers against the stall's wall. When she looked at her fingers, it struck her like lightning and she smacked herself on the forehead. Amber placed her hand above her tail and balled it slowly. Steam came up and after a while Amber was back to normal. "Why didn't I think of this earlier?" Amber wondered as she got out of the stall and then checked her look in the big mirror. She corrected her hair a bit and then left the bathroom.

Arriving back at the table, her mother eyed her, curiously. Silently, Amber avoided Rikki's glance as she sat down. The food already sat in front of her. It was almost cold. How long had she been in the bathroom? "What happened?" Rikki asked. She had already finished eating. "I thought wine had been dumped on my head and my clothes would be ruined," Amber lied. "Since when do you care about your appearance so much?" Rikki questioned. "Is it a crime?" Amber replied, annoyed. Rikki stopped trying to talk to her daughter while she ate. "She's not telling me something, but what?" Rikki wondered, silently as she continued to look at her daughter. "Something wrong?" Amber asked. "No, nothing," Rikki answered. After they paid, it was nearly 2. "I sorry, Amber, but my flight leaves in a hour. I can only drop you off at camp. I can't miss my flight," Rikki told Amber. "It's okay. I'm sure Sarah will understand," Amber replied. She just wanted her mother to leave. So they got up and left.

*

Back at the beach, Emily was laying beside a small boat, waiting for the sun to dry her. Suddenly she heard someone coming. Peeking past the boat she saw her mother. Emily held back a curse. "How am I going to explain this to my mom?" Emily thought, panicking. Emily couldn't slip back into the ocean without her mom noticing. "Why out of all the people is she here?" Emily muttered. Her mother's steps were coming closer. Emily closed her eyes, tightly. A second before Emma came around the boat, Emily felt weird.

"Emily, what are you doing here?" Emma asked. Her mother didn't sound surprised or anything. Emily slowly opened her eyes and saw she was back to normal. Slowly she got up and brushed her shorts off. "I saw a dolphin and wanted to get a closer look," Emily lied. "But why did you say you had to go to the bathroom?" Emma question. "I did go. I used the stairs that lead come from behind the pier. When I left, I saw the dolphin and just had to see it up close," Emily continued. "I didn't see it sweetie," Emma replied. "You could only see it, if you looked really hard," Emily lied, "Sorry, I worried you. I must have lost track of time."

"It's almost 2. We can hurry back to camp so I can meet your friend," Emma suggested. "No, mom. I don't want you to miss your flight because of you meeting my friends. I'm sure, Sarah will understand. Besides, you'll meet her at the end of camp when you pick me up. Lets go to the airport," Emily objected and her mother nodded, even though she thought Emily was acting strange.

*

In the amusement park, Sarah peered out of the water. She was in a tank near the food court. She saw her mother look around for her and then hurried off. "Sorry, mom," Sarah muttered, guiltily and she dove underwater. There she thought of what to do. Sarah was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't see the animal with the fin until it swam right in front of her. A shark. Startled Sarah jumped back. She was face to face with a Great White Shark. Sarah tried to stay completely motionless. "Why out of all the tank did I have to jump into this one," Sarah thought, "Okay. Sharks. Think, Sarah, think. What do you know about sharks? When you meet one no sudden movements or it may attack."

Carefully Sarah looked around and saw iron bars, separating two tanks. "It can't be any better than this one," she thought and very slowly swam towards the bars. Just as she reached them, the shark swam towards her. Scared Sarah stopped moving again. For some reason she had the feeling this shark hadn't eaten in a while. She could see it sharp teeth as it got closer and closer. Just as it was about a foot away from Sarah, something was dumped into the water at the other side of the tank. Sarah guessed it was the sharks lunch since whatever it was turned the water red. The shark looked from her to its food and then swam for its food. Sarah gave an inner sigh of relieve and then squeezed through the bars into the other tank.

In the other tank she saw a dolphin. Kylie, Ronnie's daughter. The dolphin nodded at her an playfully nudged her. Smiling Sarah petted Kylie and then held on to her fin while Kylie swam through the water with her. After they played together a while, Sarah remembered why she was even in the tank to begin with. She surfaced and told Kylie, "I'm sorry. I have to go, but I'll come visit." After Sarah petted the dolphin one last time, she got out of the water in a small corner in the employees only space. She was lucky and none came while she dried.

After she had returned back to normal, Sarah searched for her mother. Unfortunately Cleo saw Sarah just as she came out of the restricted area. "Where have you been? Why were you in the restricted area?" Cleo asked. "Well, you see, I wanted to surprise you and get you a small dolphin key chain since you like dolphins so much, but I got lost looking for the stand and somehow ended up in the restricted area," Sarah lied, hoping her mother believed her. "You've been here a few times. How could you get lost?" Cleo asked, but smiled while doing so. She gave her daughter a hug. What Sarah didn't know is that Cleo had seen that she had gotten wet. Fortunately for Sarah her mother hadn't seen her jump into the water. "It's almost 2. Lets eat our lunch and head to the bus station," Sarah suggested. "I'm sorry, I can't meet your friends. I would have loved to meet them," Cleo replied. "It's okay. I know how busy you are. I understand," Sarah said and they went to eat their lunch.

*

Rikki had dropped Amber off at camp and then gone to the airport. Going to her gate, she passed the gate that went to Canberra. Had she taken a closer look, Rikki would have seen a familiar blond, but she just kept on walking. Seconds after Rikki was out of view, Emma raised her head and looked around at the crowded airport. Even though both blonds hadn't seen each other, they both had the same thought along with Cleo, who was waiting for her bus. Their daughters had been acting weird.

*

That evening the girls sat in the cabin talking about the day. "It was so close. I almost transformed in front of my mom and then she almost saw me as a mermaid," Emily told them, "I thought I was safe since I got her not to go to the pool with me." "That's not close. I was shark bait," Sarah objected and told them what had happened. "At least your mother wasn't near you when you were a mermaid. Mine was no more than a foot away from me with only a door between us. I'm sure my mom knows something is up now," Amber said and Emily nodded in agreement. "I was able to not tell my mom anything about Lewis, but I think she's hiding something from me," Sarah replied. "Which mother doesn't hide something from her daughter. Let just be thankful we survived the day without risking our secret," Amber told them.

Just then Jessica came in. "Hey guys. How was your Parent's Day?" she asked. "Exhausting," all three of them answered at the same time, but then laughed at their own answer.

**A/N: **Their secret is safe for now, but what will happen when the harmony between the girls stops? Can their friendship survive a fight? Please review.


	8. Amber’s Time Out

**A/N: Like always I want to thank the people who read and review my story. Sorry it took so long.**

**waken5 The questions you have about Cleo and the others will be answered in a few chapters or so. The ones about the current will take a while to be answered and I do try not to reveal everything at once.**

**vampiricmermaid Just like I told waken5 above you, the answer to your question will come in a few chapters.**

Chapter 8: Amber's Time Out

"Amber where is my cell phone?" Emily asked, rummaging through the chaos on the table. "How should I know? It's your fault if you misplace it," Amber answered. "My fault. It's my fault when your stuff litters the whole table," Emily said, annoyed. "Just because I'm not a neat freak like you, doesn't make it my fault," Amber objected. "If it's so much junk that you can't see the table top, then yes it is your fault. Besides it's not just the table. Our closet is a mess," Emily complained and pointed to the open closet, that they shared, where you could see some neatly put away clothes buried under a pile of clothes that had just been thrown into the closet. "What's so bad about it? My closet looks just like that at home," Amber asked, not getting it. "But you are not at home," Emily answered as she finally pulled her phone out of the pile of junk, "Found it."

"Good for you. I'm going to brush my teeth. Excuse me," Amber said angrily and stormed out of the cabin. "Maybe you shouldn't annoy Amber so much. It's just her nature," Sarah, who had been watching the whole thing, told Emily. "Oh, come on. She's a slob," Emily objected.

In the bath house Amber met Riley and her friends. "This day can't get any worse," she thought. "Look who's here. Amber is going to grace us with her presence. Aren't we lucky," Riley said. "Zip it, Riley. I have more important things to be angry about at the time," Amber replied and walked past Riley, but still ran into her. "Your mother must not have taught you manners. You apologize if you walk into someone," Riley said. "Oh, my god. Did I run into you? I am so sorry," Amber retorted, drenched in sarcasm.

Riley stuck up her nose and went into a shower cabin. Amber didn't know, but she felt herself slowly balling her hand. Maybe because Riley really annoyed her or because she already was in a horrible mood, but it didn't matter to her. A few seconds later she heard a scream and Riley jumped out of the shower in her bathrobe. "I hate this shower!" she yelled and stormed out of the bath house, her friends right behind her.

Amber smiled and began to brush her teeth. After a while Emily and Sarah came in. Emily wore an annoyed look and Sarah quietly followed. "What is it?" Amber asked with toothpaste in her mouth. "Riley was talking about a scolding hot shower. Do you know anything about that?" Emily asked. "She annoyed me," Amber answered. "It doesn't matter. Just because she annoyed you doesn't mean you use your powers to get even," Emily told her enraged, but she kept her voice low. "Are you afraid I'll accidentally reveal our secret?" Amber asked, not believing that Emily trusted her that much. Emily didn't answer. "Fine. No answer is also an answer. If you're so scared I'll reveal our secret, then I won't be part of your group anymore. I'm a loner anyway," Amber snapped and stormed out of the bath house. "Amber, wait!" Sarah exclaimed, but Amber was gone. "Happy?" Sarah asked and also walked off. "No," Emily muttered and stood there for a moment, feeling horrible.

*

"Damn Emily," Amber muttered as she threw a rock into the ocean. "What all alone on a free day?" she heard someone ask. Amber turned to see Jordan. "What do you want?" Amber asked. "Bad mood, I see," he replied, "Where are your friends?" "Can't I be here without them?" Amber questioned. "You can, but you're always with them," Jordan answered, "Did you have a fight?" "I didn't and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," she said. "Very well," Jordan replied and started to leave.

"Wait! I'm sorry. I'm in a bad mood," Amber called after him and got up. "I might have a remedy for a bad mood," Jordan told her. "And what would that be?" Amber asked. "Follow me," he answered and led her back to the camp grounds.

Jordan brought her to the bus stop from where they took a bus to the city. There they walked to a small cafe. Sitting down at a table, Amber asked, "This is your idea for cheering a person up? This is a date." "A date with a guy like me would cheer any girl up," Jordan answered with a smile. "Very funny. I'm leaving," Amber said and was about to get up when Jordan replied, "No, seriously. I think you just need to get away from camp for a bit." "Thanks," Amber finally said and looked at the menu.

*

Lewis sat on the shore in front of his house and was fishing. Suddenly a fish took the bait and swam off very quickly, making the line unravel fast. "What the!" he exclaimed as he jumped up from his chair and grabbed the fishing rod. He tried to real it in. Just then a head popped out of the water laughing. It was Sarah. She swam to the shore and said, "Sorry, I couldn't resist." "It's okay," Lewis smiled as he remembered Cleo doing the same thing, "What are you doing here? Where are the others?" Sarah's smile faded.

"What happened?" Lewis asked. "I just need to get away from camp. Emily and Amber sort of got into a fight and now I can't find either of them," Sarah answered. "They're probably trying to distance themselves for a bit and relax. After that everything will be back to normal," he said. "I wish I could be that confident about that. I think Amber was very hurt by what Emily said," Sarah replied. "Don't worry. I believe everything will be alright. Why don't you come inside?" Lewis assured her. He handed her a towel and Sarah dried herself off until she turned back to normal.

Inside Lewis' house they sat down at a table. "Lewis, can you tell me something about the other mermaids you met? You don't need to tell me their name, just what they were like," Sarah asked. "They were all very kind, but of course they were all different. Trust me, they had their disagreements too, but they always found back together. A secret like that creates bonds that can't and won't be broken easily. I see the same thing in you three. You didn't know each other, but this secret has made you incredibly close for only having known each other for less than a month," Lewis told her. Sarah smiled, "You're right." She would have liked to ask questions about her mother and Lewis, but she knew she shouldn't. "Thanks for everything, Lewis," Sarah said. "No need to thank me," Lewis replied.

After a while Sarah returned to camp. She walked along the shore when someone asked, "You're alone?" Sarah turned to see Ryan. "Yeah, I felt like being to myself for a while," Sarah answered. "Then I should go," Ryan joked and turned to walk into a different direction. His efforts were rewarded with a smile.

Ryan walked next to Sarah. "I didn't see you all morning. Where were you?" he asked. "Visiting a friend," Sarah replied. "You don't seem like a loner. Where are Amber and Emily?" Ryan questioned. "You're right. I'm not. I don't know where they are. They disappeared this morning," Sarah answered. "It's weird that you're not together. You're always together. Everything alright?" he asked. "Everything's fine," she smiled as she thought, "Or at least it will be soon." Sarah believed in Lewis' words.

*

Back in the cafe Amber and Jordan had gotten their drinks and were just enjoying the change of scenery, when they heard someone exclaim, "Jordan! What are you doing here?" They turned to see Riley. Just then Riley saw Amber and said, "Amber." "Riley," Amber replied, coolly. Jordan could feel the tension between the two. "Amber and I both needed to get away from camp for a while," he told her. "And why are you here?" Amber asked, in cold tone. "Oh, I was enjoying the city when I got thirsty," Riley answered as she pulled up a chair. Amber rolled her eyes. She was pretty sure Riley hadn't just by accident found them.

Riley ordered smoothie and her drink soon came. The whole time she talked about things neither Amber nor Jordan cared to hear. Amber was ready to burst. Then she saw Riley's drink and smiled to herself. Carefully she balled her fist and seconds later Riley's drink was really hot. Riley and Jordan however didn't notice until Riley grabbed her glass. With a yelp, she pulled her hand back and jumped back, knocking her chair over. "It's hot," Riley said astonished.

"Lets go, Amber," Jordan told Amber and got up. He must have believed Riley's scene was all a show. Amber nodded and followed suite. "See you later, Riley," they said and left. Amber peeked over her shoulder to see Riley fuming. Amber smiled. They hadn't walked very far when Riley caught up to them. "So where are you going next?" she asked. "Not sure," Jordan answered. Amber could tell he was annoyed. "Lets go to the beach," Riley suggested. "No," Amber replied, instantly. "Why not? The beach is a nice idea," Jordan asked. "I just don't like the beach," Amber answered. "Then you kind of went to the wrong camp," Riley said and took Jordan's arm, leading him towards the beach. Amber cursed and followed them.

Arriving at the beach, it was shortly past noon, but it wasn't all that crowded. Riley took her top off, revealing a green bikini. They saw people riding jet skis, surfing, swimming or just sunbathing. "Lets go jet skiing. I've always wanted to," Riley suggested with a smile. "Sure," Jordan agreed. "I'll pass. I don't have a bathing suit with me," Amber said and the two others left.

Amber sat in the sand and watched Riley and Jordan riding around. Just then Jordan rode up to her. "Why don't you at least get on behind me? It's totally boring just sitting around here," he suggested and reached his hand out to her. "Forget it," she replied and Jordan rode off again.

Amber was deep in thought and only looked up when she heard a motor coming closer, but it was too late. Riley had ridden her jet ski towards the shore and made a hard turn, making water splash all over Amber. The blond was frozen for a moment and then dove into the water. The good part was that Riley hadn't bothered looking back so she didn't notice Amber jump into the water.

Underwater Amber swam further out, away from the jet skis, not wanting to get hit by one. She recognized Jordan's and Riley's jet skis. Suddenly Jordan's went further and further from the shore, coming closer to her. "He's showing off to Riley," Amber though, annoyed, "Wait, why do I care if he's showing off to her?"

Suddenly Jordan rode right into a big wave, causing him to fall off the jet ski very close to Amber. Amber's eyes widened and she quickly swam off, praying he didn't see her, but she wouldn't dare look back.

*

Emily sat at the beach and just stared out at the sea. She wasn't sure how long she had sat there, but it still didn't help her. What should she do? She had been so rude to Amber. There was no way Amber would forgive her.

"Don't think too hard," she heard someone say. Emily turned to see Daniel. "Don't have any work right now?" she asked. "We workers need a break too sometimes," he answered and sat down next to her, "What are you thinking about?" Emily hesitated for a moment and then said, "I accused a friend of something really bad and now she's angry. I understand what I said was wrong, but there will be no way she'll forgive me." Daniel smiled at her with an irresistible smile and replied, "You're really strong, Emily."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Not everyone has the strength or courage to admit their mistake, let alone correct it," he explained. "It doesn't matter if I admit my mistake, if she doesn't want to have anything with me to do anymore," Emily replied. "If she is really your friend then she will forgive you," Daniel said, "Plus if you really are genuine with your apology then she will forgive you. Well, I have to get back to work." He got up and started to leave. "Daniel," she called after him and he turned around, "Thanks." She smiled at him. "No need to thank me. It's my job. If you have any more problems come to me," Daniel replied and left.

Smiling, Emily just sat there a while longer and then went back to her cabin hoping to find Amber or Sarah, but she only found Jessica. "Where have you been?" Jessica asked. "At the beach doing so thinking," Emily replied. "Alone?" Jessica questioned. "Ah, yes. Why?" Emily answered. "I've been trying to find any of you the whole day. I thought you would be together since I couldn't find any of you," Jessica explained. "I don't know where Amber and Sarah are. I haven't seen them since this morning. We decided to not spend the day together," Emily told Jessica. "I heard you and Amber got into a fight," Jessica said. Emily didn't reply.

"Want something to drink?" Jessica asked and showed her the bottle of water. Emily nodded and Jessica poured two glasses full. Just as Jessica was about to hand Emily the glass, she tripped. The water flew through the air and Emily tried to dodge it by turning to the side. Unfortunately the water splashed her arm. Quickly Emily grabbed a towel and rubbed it on her arm furiously. After ten seconds Emily gave a silent sigh of relief.

Jessica looked at Emily as if she was crazy. "Sorry. I can be pretty clumsy, but it's just water," Jessica said. "Yeah, just water," Emily replied faintly, "I'll go look for Sarah and Amber." Quickly she left the cabin.

Jessica looked after her and then a smile spread across her face. "Interesting," she muttered.

*

Amber had found a secluded beach a bit further down and had pulled herself ashore. Now she had dried and had turned back to normal. What now? She could go back to Jordan. Amber shook her head. It was best if she walked back to camp along the beach. So she headed towards the camp.

"Amber!" she heard someone call her name. She turned to see Jordan jog up to her, a bit out of breath. "Why did you leave?" he asked. "Because I was bored and didn't feel like watching you show off to Riley. By the way where is she?" Amber answered. "I left her back there. I wanted to be alone with you so we can talk," Jordan replied.

"What is so important that we have to talk alone?" Amber questioned. "Back there I fell off my jet ski," he began. "So?" she questioned, fearing his reply. "Underwater I saw a bronze fin," Jordan continued. "A fish?" Amber asked, playing the unknowing. "It was too big to be a fish and it didn't look like a normal fin either," Jordan objected.

"So what does that have to do with me and why are you telling me this?" Amber questioned as she thought, "As long as he doesn't talk to Ryan about what he saw, he won't get any further." "Isn't it weird that just after you disappear, I see some kind of weird thing," Jordan answered. "You're just suspicious," she said and quickened her step, but Jordan grabbed her hand and turned her to face him.

"You're hiding something," he told her and stared at her with hard eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," Amber objected, trying not to let her fear show. "Really?" Jordan asked, forcing her to look into his eyes. Looking into his eyes like that Amber almost said that she had a secret, but she couldn't tell him, but in the last second she answered, "I don't."

Then Jordan's grip on her arm loosened and his look softened. "I like a girl whose secretive," he began and lowered his head. Then they kissed. After they separated he continued, "But I will find out your secret one day." "You won't, because I don't have one," she replied and ran ahead with Jordan following her.

When he caught up to her, he wrapped his arms around her, but Amber freed herself from his embrace and looked at him seriously. "You can't tell anyone about this. About us. Especially not Sarah and Emily. Promise?" she told him. "But they're your friends," Jordan objected. "Yes or no?" Amber asked solemnly. "I guess I can keep this little secret," Jordan smiled and they walked back to camp.

*

As Amber walked along the beach, she met Sarah and Emily, who each came out of different directions. The three girls stopped dead in their tracks when they saw their friends. Amber had completely forgotten their fight until then since she had been together with Jordan. They looked from one to another. "A-Amber, I'm sorry about what I said," Emily said. "It's okay. I should be the one whose sorry. It's your secret just as much as it is mine. I shouldn't risk too much by using my powers too much," Amber replied. "I guess our fight is over," Sarah smiled and they hugged.

"I have to tell you something," Amber said. "What?" her friends asked. "Jordan has seen a mermaid," Amber answered. Sarah and Emily stared at Amber for a moment and then exclaimed, "What!" Amber told them about the accident at the beach, but only up until the kiss. "Great. Now we have to be careful not only near Ryan, but Jordan too," Emily said. "But for now lets enjoy the rest of the day. How about a swim?" Sarah asked. The blonds nodded as the girls ran into the ocean and dove in. Swimming through the water, Sarah smiled. Lewis had been right. This kind of secrets creates bonds.

**A/N: **With their small crises solved the girls' lives go one. But what happens when the girls find something on Mako Island? Something that brings the part of the past out of the darkness. Please review.


	9. Lockets

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for their reviews and for reading of course. Sorry it took so long, but now it's up so enjoy.**

**bibliophile1 all I can say to you is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and you don't need to read my story if you don't like it.**

**waken5 I'm wondering if you can read my mind and I wanted to thank you for all your comments.  
**

Chapter 9: Lockets

It was early in the morning as Amber walked along the beach, walking next to Jordan. The sun was just rising. "It's really beautiful here," Jordan said. "Yeah. I never would have thought the place my mom forced me to go to would be this nice," Amber smiled. "Do you mean the scenery or the people?" he asked. "The scenery, of course," she joked and nudged him playfully.

Jordan smiled back at her. "The camp's starting to wake up. We should go our ways now before someone sees us and we get punished," Amber reminded him. He nodded and gave her one last peck on the cheek. Then he left. Amber stood on the beach for a while long and let the wind play with her hair. Then she jumped into the water.

Amber laid her head on the edge of the moon pool. She needed some time for herself. Amber hated herself for lying to her friends. She didn't want to lie to her friends, but she knew that if she told them, they would object. On the other hand she also knew she couldn't just ignore Jordan.

Amber sighed and racked through the sand with her hand. Suddenly she felt something cold and solid. Amber picked it up and saw it was a necklace. A locket. It was covered in sand so Amber brushed it off. The locket was oval shaped and on the back were three wavy lines. On top of the locket was a red colored stone. It was very beautiful, but at the same time it seemed familiar. Amber was sure she had never seen it before since something that pretty you wouldn't forget.

Amber debated on what to do with it. In the end she took it with her. Back at camp she found Sarah and Emily having breakfast. "Hey," Amber smiled. "Hey," Emily replied. "Where were you this morning? We were wondering where you had gotten off to," Sarah asked. "I was at Mako," Amber answered, quietly so no one heard her. "That early? You were up before me and you're not even a morning person," Emily questioned. "I couldn't sleep," Amber lied, "Oh, I found something. I'll show it to you later." "What did you find?" Sarah asked curiously, but Amber only smiled mysteriously.

After breakfast they returned to their cabin. There Amber showed the girls the locket. "It's beautiful," Sarah said. "You seriously found this on Mako?" Emily asked. Amber nodded and answered, "In the sand by the Moon Pool. I think it has been laying there for a long time." "You should wear it. I think it would suit you," Sarah replied and Emily nodded in agreement. Amber put the necklace on.

"You know it's weird. I have the feeling I've seen the necklace before," Emily said. "You too? When I first saw it I was sure I had seen it before even though, I know I haven't," Amber told them. "Same here. I could swear I have seen it before," Sarah agreed.

Just then Jessica came in. She saw the necklace and smiled, "That's an interesting necklace. Where did you get it?" "From a jewelry store in town," Amber lied. "I don't think I've seen anything like it before," Jessica replied. "Thanks," Amber said, "Lets go. I think I heard Mrs. Rose call us to assemble." That was an obvious lie, but Amber just wanted to get out of there. With that the Amber, Sarah and Emily left.

Jessica stayed in the cabin for a moment longer. "The red stone on the top suits you well, Amber," she smiled and then also left.

*

They had been on a long hike and had finally stopped to have lunch. While they ate maps were handed out to groups of three. Amber, Sarah and Emily were on group. They looked at each other confused. What were they suppose to do with it?

"With this map you will navigate back to camp in your groups. If you paid any attention on the way here it should be easy. Good luck. It should take about one and a half hours," Mrs. Rose told them. The campers stared at each other baffled. Their councilor wasn't serious, was she? Just then Mrs. Rose got into a car and left. The campers couldn't believe what had just happened.

After a while the groups finally dispersed. Emily, Sarah and Amber looked at their map. "If we walk that way we'll get to the ocean and then we can follow it back. It should be fairly quick," Emily suggested. "I agree with going to the ocean, but lets swim back," Amber smiled.

"Swim? But then we would be back way too early," Sarah objected. "Besides that's cheating," Emily added. "Mrs. Rose never said how we should get back, she only said to get back," Amber reminded them, "Anyway that way we can spend some free time in the water and have fun before we return." "Well, it does sound nice," Sarah admitted. "Fine," Emily agreed, "Lets go."

Arriving at the beach the girls smiled. The beach was secluded and peaceful. They dove into the water and swam off. They swam through the coral reefs, schools of fish and along side dolphins.

Finally they surfaced in the Moon Pool. "It's always amazing no matter how many times you see it, isn't it?" Sarah asked. The blonds nodded. "Say, Amber, where exactly did you find that locket?" Emily questioned. "Right here," Amber answered and pointed to the sand in front of the pool.

Just then Amber and Emily looked over to Sarah to see their friend have her eyes shut tightly. "Is something wrong, Sarah?" Emily asked, concerned. "No, it's just that something is blinding me from underwater I think," Sarah answered and dove underwater. The sun just barely shone through the opening of the volcano.

Finally Sarah surfaced again. Her face was pale. "You look like you've seen a ghost," Amber told her. "You'll never guess what I just found," Sarah said. "What?" the blonds asked. Sarah opened up her hand to reveal a locket. "Hey. How did my necklace get here?" Amber asked. "It's not your necklace, Amber. Look. They're almost identical, but this one has a purple stone not a red one," Emily cleared up, "But why is it on the bottom of the Moon Pool?" "Not only that but this makes two locket that we found here in a completely deserted area. Any normal person doesn't come here," Amber added.

"That's it!" Sarah explained. "What's it?" the blonds asked. "Who said they were normal. Maybe they belong to the mermaids Lewis told us about," Sarah explained. "But why would they leave their necklaces here?" Amber questioned. "That's one thing and the other thing is I would think there were three mermaids like now, but we only have two necklaces," Sarah said. "But if that's true then there's still one necklace we haven't found," Emily concluded. "Why don't we find out," Amber suggested. The mermaids nodded.

Amber, Sarah and Emily had search for a long time without success. "I give up. Nothing is here," Amber said, sitting down on the ground exhausted. "I agree. I guess I was wrong," Sarah agreed, following Amber's suit. "It seems we were wrong," Emily said and clapped a hand against the wall. A hollow sound echoed through the volcano. The girls looked up. Carefully Emily pulled the rock out of the wall and something fell into her hand. The third necklace.

The girls looked at it. This time it had a white stone. "The third necklace!" the girls exclaimed. "That means you were right, Sarah," Emily said. Sarah blushed happily and suggested, "Why don't we go to Lewis and ask him if he knows where the mermaids live now. We can return the necklaces to them." "I would have liked to keep it," Amber admitted. "I like Sarah's idea," Emily objected. "Fine. We go to Lewis," Amber gave in. "But we should get back. I think we overstayed our visit," Emily said and the mermaids swam off.

*

It was late afternoon when Sarah, Amber and Emily arrived at Lewis' house. They found him on his porch. "Girls, what are you doing here?" he asked. "We found something that we want you to take a look at," Sarah answered. "And what might that be?" Lewis questioned, interested. Each girl opened their hand to reveal the locket they found.

The girls saw Lewis eyes widen. "Cleo.., Emma.., Rikki…," Lewis muttered before he could stop himself. The girls stared at him astonished. Amber was the first to recover from the shock. "How do you know my mother's name?" Amber asked. Lewis clapped his hand over his mouth and silently cursed. "Lewis. How do you know my mother's name?" Amber repeated in a deadly voice and glared at him.

"Okay, I'll tell you the truth," Lewis gave in, "I knew all your mothers. They were all mermaids." The girls felt there knees go weak and they had to sit down on the bench. "That's not possible," Amber objected, "My mother has always been able to touch water. I saw it even before I left for camp." "But what about when she got accidentally wet? Was she surprised then?" Lewis questioned. Silently Amber nodded as she realized that Lewis was right.

"But what about my mom? She went swimming with me all the time," Emily asked. "I'm sure your mom has told you that she used to be a competitive swimmer when she was younger, right?" Lewis answered and Emily nodded, "But there was a time that she stopped swimming, wasn't there? That was when she became a mermaid and had to give up her dream of competitive swimming. It was hard for her, but she got over it." Emily thought back. There had been quite a long period when her mother hadn't swum.

"Then that mermaid you told me that doubted herself was my mom?" Sarah asked, faintly and Lewis nodded, "How? How did that happen?" Lewis sat down opposite of the girls and began, "It happened 26 or 27 years ago here at the Gold Coast. Rikki was new. Through an accident they landed on Mako Island where they were transformed by the full moon. I soon found out and helped them figure out what had happened. I'm a scientist. A year later their powers were enhanced by a lunar eclipse and they then had the powers you have now."

The girls listened spellbound. "You were together with my mother, weren't you?" Sarah asked and Lewis nodded, "What happened?" "When we were in college 22 or 23 years ago, I got the chance to go study aboard in America. I was going to refuse, but after I talked to Cleo and the others, who persuaded me, I went. For a year we talked on the phone and exchanged letters, but then suddenly it all stopped. No more letters or phone calls. I tried to reach her, but I had no luck," Lewis continued, "When I finally returned home after almost four years, I saw Cleo with another guy." "My dad," Sarah whispered, "He left my mom before I was even born. That hit my mother hard." Amber and Emily each put a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "She looked so happy so I didn't interfere and decided not to contact her anymore since she didn't contact me," Lewis explained. "What about our mothers?" Amber asked. "I don't know. I tried to find them in the city, but they were gone. Most likely they moved away," he answered.

"And what about the lockets?" Emily questioned, motioning to them. The girls had placed them on the table. "The girls had help from an elderly lady called Mrs. Chatham. 50 years before your mothers time she had also been a mermaid along with her two friends. They also had a friend like me named Max. Max made these lockets which are all only a little different through the stone on top. Mrs. Chatham and her friends gave them to each other as a sign of their friendship," Lewis answered, "Later they broke apart and your mothers found them again. Cleo got hers from Emma who found it on the bottom of the moon pool. Rikki found hers at a jewelry store and Emma got hers from Mrs. Chatham. Just like back then the lockets represented their friendship, but where did you get them?"

"We found them near the Moon Pool," Sarah told him, "They were laying there for a long time too. Mine was on the bottom of the Moon Pool. Amber's was buried in the sand and Emily's was in a hidden rock ledge." The girl could tell Lewis didn't like that answer.

"Don't you have any idea what happened back then?" Sarah asked, desperately wanting to know what had happened. Lewis shook his head and answered, "I'm sorry. I really wish I knew more." The girls could tell he was really upset. "What do we do with the lockets?" Amber questioned. "Keep them. They have always belong to the mermaids and that is now you. They are rightfully yours," Lewis replied and picked them up, "Purple for Sarah. White for Emily. Red for Amber." As he said their names he handed them their correspondent locket. The girls put them on. Lewis smiled. They looked just like their mothers.

Just then Emily realized the sun was setting. "We have to get back. Dinner's almost over," Emily told them and the other two nodded. "Thanks, Lewis, for everything," Sarah said. "It's alright. Come again and I can tell you more about your mothers," he replied. "Lets go," Amber hissed and pulled Sarah along behind her.

*

Back at camp, the girls hurried into the mess hall. As they sat down, they already saw Mrs. Rose's annoyed glance. "Shoot," Amber muttered as they sat down. "Where have you been?" Jessica whispered. "We were visiting Sarah's relative," Emily lied. "I didn't even see you leave camp," Jessica replied. "We had to be careful or Mrs. Rose would have caught us," Sarah said.

Just then Jessica saw that the girls each wore a necklace. "You went to that shop and got two more necklaces," Jessica accused. "No, I had brought them with me and had given them to them," Amber lied and glared at Jessica, who didn't say anything else.

After dinner, Mrs. Rose called for Amber, Sarah and Emily. "What excuse do you have for being late?" she asked. "Sarah's relative, the one we visited before, had gotten sick and he asked Sarah to help him this afternoon. Emily and I couldn't leave Sarah alone so we went with her," Amber lied. "Why didn't you at least tell me you were gone?" the councilor questioned. "My… uncle doesn't have anyone near here that could help him so I wanted to get there as quickly as possible. If we had told you, we would have missed the bus and we would have had to wait a hour," Sarah answered. "Very well. I'll overlook it for now," Mrs. Rose said, "Go to your cabin now." The girls nodded and hurried off, before the councilor could change her mind.

"That was too close," Amber muttered as they walked towards their cabin. "Next time lets think of an excuse before we come back," Emily suggested. "I wonder," Sarah began as she looked up at the sky, where the first few starts were appearing, "I wonder what happened." "We will find out," Emily assured her friend. "Not matter how," Amber added as all three girls looked up at the night sky.

**A/N: **The girls now know more about their mothers and want to know even more. Unfortunately their plans have to be put on hold when some fishy business happens at camp. Like always please review.


	10. Fishy Business

**A/N: I'm sorry I took so long. I had tests to write at school and then I had a writer's block on top of that. Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone. The next one I'll try to upload sooner.**

Chapter 10: Fishy Business

Emily was up early as usual. She got dressed and left the cabin. Near the mess hall, she ran into Daniel. "Morning," he said, holding the cool bag in one hand. "Morning. You work this early?" she asked. "The early bird catches the worm or the fish in this case," Daniel answered, "I have to go to the market near the docks." "Can I come along?" Emily questioned. "You want to come with me to the market? You interested in fish?" he replied. "No, but there's nothing to do here this early in the morning," she said. Daniel thought about it for a moment and told her, "Okay, I guess as long as Mrs. Rose doesn't find out, it's okay."

Emily and Daniel were about to leave when two men in chef uniform hurried up to them. "Daniel, wait. We need other fish," one of them said. "Why so suddenly?" Daniel asked. "We decided to make a different meal and need different fish for that," the other answered and handed Daniel a shopping list. With a shrug, Daniel said, "Okay. I'll bring the stuff to you when I'm back. " The cooks thanked Daniel and left. "Then lets get going. We have a lot to buy now," Daniel told Emily. Emily nodded and they got into the pick-up that belonged to the camp.

After a short drive Daniel parked the car near the docks. Many stalls stood there showing their goods from fish to cloths. Emily was amazed at how big it was. She looked everywhere as she followed Daniel through the crowd, who said, "The stall is right up there." Abruptly Emily stopped in front of a newspaper stand. There on a pile laid a magazine about nature. The cover had a solar eclipse on it and read, "There will soon be a solar eclipse."

Spellbound she stared at the magazine. For some reason it made her feel uncomfortable. Emily wasn't sure how long she looked at the magazine, but then someone snapped her out of it. "I finally found you," she heard someone say. Emily turned around to see Daniel. He had a full cool bag in his hand. "I thought I had lost you," he told her. "Sorry. You done?" Emily asked and Daniel nodded, "Just a minute." She dug out her purse and paid for the magazine she had been looking at. "You interested in astronomy?" he questioned. "You could say that," Emily answered as they headed back to the car.

Back at camp, Emily sat down on the beach and began reading the magazine. "There you are. We've been looking everywhere for you," she heard someone say. Emily turned to see Sarah and Amber walk up to her. "I was here the whole time," Emily lied. "What are you reading?" Sarah asked as they sat down next to their friend. "A magazine," Emily answered. "And where did you get that? It looks brand new," Amber questioned.

"Well, I accompanied Daniel to the docks where I bought it," Emily confessed, turning a bit red. Sarah and Amber looked at each other with an interesting expression. "I see, you accompanied him," Amber repeated in a sly voice. "You do realize that he would not do that for any other girl at this camp, don't you?" Sarah added. "It's not like that. We just met by chance, I asked if I could come along since there was nothing else to do here," Emily explained. "Sure," Amber said in the same sly tone.

"Stop that! There's nothing going on between Daniel and me. Besides I think we might have bigger problems soon," Emily told her friends annoyed. "What do you mean?" Sarah asked. "On the next full moon there will be a solar eclipse directly above Mako," Emily answered. "A solar eclipse? That's when the Earth goes between the sun and the moon, right?" Amber questioned. "No, that's a lunar eclipse. In a solar eclipse the moon goes between the sun and the Earth and blocks the sun," Emily corrected. "That's cool," Sarah said. "But why does that mean big trouble?" Amber asked. "I'm not sure yet, but when I saw this magazine, it was almost as if it put me into a trance. I just had to buy it," Emily told them.

"Why don't we ask Ryan? He's a scientist. Maybe a solar eclipse has a special impact on the Earth," Sarah suggested. "Bad idea. Ryan is already too close to us. Ask him and he might get too suspicious," Amber objected. "I have to agree with Amber. Ryan knows too much. Why don't we ask Jessica?" Emily proposed. "Ask me what?" the girls heard someone ask. Startled they turned around to see Jessica.

"How much did you hear?" Amber demanded, narrowing her eyes. "Only the last sentence. I'm only here to tell you that breakfast is done," Jessica replied quickly. "Oh, it's that late already. Thanks for getting us," Sarah said as the girls got up and were about to leave when Jessica asked, "What were you going to ask me?" "That's right. Jessica, what do you know of solar eclipses?" Emily questioned. "Solar eclipses. Sorry, except that the moon blocks the sun, I don't know anything else," Jessica told them. "It's okay. You're interested into marine biology, not astronomy," Emily replied, "Thanks anyway. We should go to breakfast before we get in trouble." Emily and Sarah walked off, but Amber looked at Jessica. "You don't like me much, do you?" Jessica asked. "I don't," Amber answered curtly and then walked after her friends. "You're right to fear the solar eclipse," Jessica smiled quietly as she touched something that was making the pocket of her shorts bulge.

*

After the morning activities, the girls had lunch. Today's menu had a fish option. The fish that Daniel had bought that morning. "I can't wait. I love fish," Amber smiled as she, Sarah and Emily stood in the lunch line. "How can you eat fish?" Sarah asked and then added so quietly that only her friends could hear her, "You're practically a fish yourself." "I agree. I'm going with a salad," Emily concurred as she placed a bowl of salad on her plate. "Fine," Amber gave in and followed Emily and Sarah's suite.

As they sat down, Amber saw that almost everyone else was eating fish. Ryan sat down opposite of them. "How's everything, girls?" he asked. "Good," Sarah answered. She looked at her friends and then questioned, "Ryan, what do you know about solar eclipses?" Amber's and Emily's head shot up and looked at their friend astonished. "Solar eclipses?" he repeated, "You mean because there will be one soon? Unfortunately I can't help you. Sorry." "That's okay," Sarah said.

After lunch Amber and Emily pulled Sarah into their cabin. "Are you crazy?" Amber asked enraged, "Didn't we agree not to ask Ryan?" "But Jessica didn't know anything," Sarah objected. "Sarah, I know you did it for us, but you have to remember that if Ryan figures out our secret we're all exposed," Emily said, calmly. "I'm sorry. I was only trying to help," Sarah muttered, hanging her head low. "Don't worry. I think Ryan won't find out our secret," Emily comforted her and put her arm around Sarah. "I guess you're right. I lost my temper. I'm sorry," Amber added. "I forgive you," Sarah smiled.

*

The next morning the girls entered the mess hall for breakfast. They were just on time, but for some reason, the mess hall was almost completely empty. "What's going on here?" Emily asked, looking around, confused. "I have no idea, but we aren't too early," Amber replied. "Then where is everyone?" Sarah questioned.

Just then a lunch lady came up to them and said, "At least you three are alright." "What do you mean?" Emily asked. "It seems the fish from yesterday was bad. Almost all the campers are in the infirmary," the lunch lady answered. "So even Mrs. Rose and the other councilors are sick?" Sarah questioned. "No. Luckily they didn't eat the fish. Mrs. Rose is the office with Daniel. He was the one to buy the fish. He'll be in trouble," the lunch lady replied and then left.

"Looks like we saved you from becoming sick, Amber," Sarah said, looking at her friend with a smirk. "Okay, okay. Thanks," Amber replied, annoyed, "So what now? Morning activities must be cancelled." "I don't know. What do you think, Emily?" Sarah asked and looked at her friend. Emily just stood there wide eyed.

"Hello," Amber said, waving her hand in front of Emily. "This is bad. Mrs. Rose will fire Daniel," Emily muttered. "Why do you say that?" Sarah asked. "Because it's his responsibility to make sure the fish is good, when he buys it," Emily explained and then ran off. "Emily!" her friends exclaimed.

After searching for a while, Emily found Daniel on the beach. He was staring at the ocean. Emily sat down next to him. "She fired you?" Emily asked softly. "Unless I can prove that the fish I had gotten was good by tonight, but that's just like saying fly to the moon by tonight," Daniel answered. "What about the cooks? They prepared the fish," Emily questioned. "They said they trusted my judgment and prepared the fish," he replied and sighed, "It's time to face the music. It's over." "But you liked it here, didn't you?" she asked. "Of course, I did," Daniel answered, "But every good thing must end at some point."

Emily stood up and left, shaking her head. "If you're not going to help yourself, I will," she muttered and headed to a secluded part of the beach. "And just where do you think you're going?" she heard someone asked. She turned to see Amber and Sarah. "Daniel has given up, but I won't. I'm going to find that stall and talk to the owner," Emily replied. "We're coming with you," Sarah said. Emily smiled a thanks at her friends and they dove into the water.

*

Arriving at the docks, there were less stalls and a smaller crowd. "So where did Daniel buy the fish?" Amber asked. "Good question. I wasn't paying attention, because I saw that magazine," Emily confessed, "But it should be around there. Lets ask some stall owners." The girls nodded and split up.

Amber and Sarah had no luck what so ever. Emily was about to give up, when she vender came from behind his stall and asked, "You're one of the girls looking for a fish stall, right?" "Ah, yes," Emily answered. "I might have something for you. Yesterday there was a fish stall here that's almost never here, but they're not here today. They seemed weird," the vender told her. "Really? Thanks so much," Emily replied and hurried towards her friends.

After they had returned to camp, Emily told them, "Listen, I may have found a lead. There was a stall there that was usually never there." "Emily, I think this is ridiculous. Maybe Daniel was just inattentive and he accidentally bought bad fish," Amber retorted. "That would never happen to Daniel," Emily said. "Faults are human. It could have happened to anyone," Sarah added. "So you both think it's his fault?" Emily asked her friends. Slowly Amber and Sarah nodded. "Fine, I'll help Daniel on my own," Emily said and walked off. "You think she only wants to find out where the bad fish came from?" Amber questioned. Sarah shook her head.

Silently Emily snuck into the mess hall and into the kitchen. She searched for any kind of clue, but to no avail. Just then she heard someone enter the mess hall. Quickly Emily hurried out the back door. Outside she found garbage cans standing. It stunk of trash such as left over food that was now moldy. Emily pinched her nose shut.

All of the sudden the door opened and one of the cooks came outside. Emily cowered between two garbage cans even though the smell nearly made her pass out. The cook took out a cell phone said, "It's me. You realize what you've done. Most of the camp is sick. If I were you I would get out of here as soon as possible… Okay, I'll meet you on the boat. Bye." The cook hurried away. Emily came out of her hiding spot. She wasn't a hundred percent sure what was going on, but she knew she had to follow the cook.

As Emily quietly followed the cook, she ran into Amber and Sarah. "Where are you going now?" Sarah asked. "Not now. That cook has something to do with the whole fish incident," Emily answered. "I think you're going overboard with all this, Emily," Amber said. "Whatever. I'm following him," Emily replied and hurried away, hoping she didn't lose the cook. "Should we follow her?" Sarah asked and Amber shrugged.

The cook got into the speedboat that belong to the camp and took off. Emily didn't think long and jumped into the water after him. After a short swim, Emily saw the speedboat stop near a fishing boat. Peering out of the water, she saw the cook get aboard the ship and started talking to two men.

After the men went into the cabin, Emily took a closer look. On deck was a pile of fish. A huge pile of fish that were endangered of being over fished. Using the pile of fish as cover, Emily let herself be dried by the sun. When she was a human again, she snuck to the cabin door. "I agreed to take your older fish, but never to the already bad ones," the cook said. "You get a good deal, don't you?" one of the men asked. "Besides you get a part of the money we make with all the fish we catch," the other man added.

Emily backed up, quiet. They weren't only over fishing, but selling bad fish. She needed to get the police. Just then she saw a cell phone laying on deck. Quickly she dialed the police's number and said, "Hello. There's a case of…"

Suddenly the phone was knocked out of her hand. Emily turned to see one of the men. "You weren't thinking of calling the police, were you?" he asked and grabbed her hand. Struggling, Emily was pulled into the cabin. "Looks like we have a spy. We should get out of here. I'll tie her up," he said and opened a small door that led to a closet. There he tied her up with a thick rope, placed tape over her mouth and then locked her in.

Emily heard the motor start. Fear went through her. Who knew what would happen to her? Just then she realized that the boat wasn't moving, although the motor was on. She heard indefinite curses and word exchanges.

Suddenly the door opened and Emily looked up at Amber. Amber quickly pulled the tape from Emily's mouth and then began untying her. "Ow. What are you doing here?" Emily asked. "Making sure you don't get in trouble," Amber answered as she finished untying Emily, "Come on. Sarah is stopping them from going anywhere." Quickly they hurried out of the cabin, on the deck and dove into the water.

There they found Sarah, who was using her power to stop the propeller from moving. "We need to call the police," Emily said. "You mean that police," Amber smiled and pointed towards a police boat heading towards them, "We call them from that cell phone." "We should get out of here," Sarah told them and the girls nodded as they submerged.

*

That evening Emily walked along the beach. Just then Daniel ran up to her smiling. "The police captured the real criminals. I'm innocent," he told her. "Really?" Emily questioned, acting surprised. "Don't act so surprised," he said. "What are you talking about?" Emily asked. "One of the men described a girl that looked just like you that was on their ship," Daniel answered. "And how would I get there?" Emily questioned. "That's true, but I'm sure you would find a way. Anyway I want to thank you," Daniel replied. "For what?" Emily asked. "That you believed in me," he said and kissed her. After the first moment of shock, Emily responded the kiss.

After Daniel left, Amber and Sarah appeared out of no where. "We saw that," they said. Emily blushed a bit. "Was is good?" Amber asked. Emily only nodded, but then said, "Now we have to be careful around Daniel as well. Although he didn't see me, he could figure it out." The girls nodded. "But I think it was worth it, wasn't it?" Sarah questioned. "It was," Emily smiled and they walked back to their cabin.

**A/N: **With Emily and Daniel now together, things couldn't be better, but then a canoe trip comes along. Please review.


	11. Canoe Trip

**A/N: Here's chapter 11. Thank you for reading and reviewing, everyone. I know this chapter is pretty short, but the next one will be longer, I promise.**

Chapter 11: Canoe Trip

Two days after the bad fish incident, everyone was back to normal. That morning all the campers met outside their cabins. "Why are we here? Won't swimming start soon?" Amber asked. Her friends shrugged. Mrs. Rose stepped in front of the crowd of campers and told them, "Today instead of swimming, we have a special treat for all of you. We'll go canoeing." Excitement went through the crowd. "Go get ready," the councilor said and the campers disbanded, "Amber, Sarah, Emily, would you come over here."

The girls walked to Mrs. Rose. "What do we do, Mrs. Rose?" Emily asked. "Actually, Emily, your punishment ended yesterday. You will be coming along," the councilor told them. The girls' eyes widened in shock. "Really?" Sarah questioned, trying to sound happy. "Yes, so there is no reason for you to miss it," Mrs. Rose answered and left.

The girls stood there rooted to that spot. "This is bad," Sarah said. "You think we have time to push Ryan off the docks again?" Amber joked. "This is serious, Amber," Emily replied, "We can't go canoeing." "Well as long as we don't touch the water, we should be fine," Sarah pointed out. "It's obvious Mrs. Rose won't let us skip it," Emily added. "You realize we'll be in a small boat, that with the slightest tilting could let water in?" Amber asked. "We don't have a choice, Amber or do you want to explain to Mrs. Rose why we can't go in the water?" Emily replied. "If we go by the rules, we don't have any choices, but if we go against the rules, who knows," Amber said, giving them a mysterious smile. "I don't know what you are think, but I don't want to know either," Emily answered, sharply. "Guys, stop it," Sarah interrupted, not wanting a fight.

"What are you still doing here?" Jessica asked, coming up to them. "We're just talking," Amber answered, curtly. "You should hurry up. They're starting to load the canoes," Jessica said. "Thanks, we'll be right there," Emily replied and Jessica left, "Lets go. Maybe we won't touch the water." "I have the feeling that just to prove us wrong, we'll get wet," Amber thought as she followed her friends.

Many canoes laid on the beach. After the girls each had put on a life west, they carefully got into a canoe, that looked the driest. Jessica came up behind them and asked, "And how am I supposed to push the canoe into the water with everyone already sitting in it?" "Since it's already half in the water, it shouldn't be hard," Amber answered. "I'll help," Daniel said, appearing next to Jessica, "Get in. I can manage alone." Jessica got in and Daniel pushed them in.

They paddled behind the rest that were already a bit ahead of them. "Come on. We're lagging behind," Jessica said, a bit frustrated at how slow her boat mates were paddling. Out in the ocean, they stopped and looked down at the crystal clear water. They could see the underwater life. The fish, coral reefs and many other things. "This is amazing," Jessica said, amazed, "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?" "No," Emily replied. "I have," Jordan cut in from a different canoe. Amber turned to him with a warning glare, knowing he meant her. He only smiled back, not at all scared. "What could be more beautiful than this?" Jessica asked and leaned more to one side to take a closer look. The canoe started to tilt. "You're going to make us capsize," Amber said and pulled her back. "Me alone won't makes us capsize and even if we do, it's only water," Jessica replied. Amber gave her am annoyed look.

*

During break on shore, Ryan and Sarah were sitting on the beach alone. "This is really fun," he said. "Yeah, it is," she replied. "The view of the underwater life was amazing," Ryan told her, "But your canoe was lagging behind quite a bit." "We wanted to take a thorough look," Sarah lied. "Lets go swimming," Ryan suggested and got up. "Swimming. No! I mean, I don't feel like it at the moment. I mean we were on the water the whole morning," Sarah objected, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. "We don't have to go in deep, just to the knees," Ryan retorted. "No means no. No matter how deep," Sarah replied, firmly. "Right, I forgot. You don't like swimming. Sorry," Ryan said. "That's okay," Sarah answered and thought, "He's really nice and considerate."

*

Meanwhile Daniel and Emily were walking around the camp grounds, where they were having their lunch. "How did you like canoeing?" Daniel asked. "It was really fun," Emily replied. "But probably not as fun as chasing people, who sell bad fish," Daniel retorted, playfully. "I already told you it wasn't me," Emily objected as they walked on to the beach. "I know," he said.

Suddenly Emily realized that she was walking right next to the water and that a small wave was coming, that would get her feet wet. Emily jumped to the side, avoiding the water, but knocked Daniel over. "I'm sorry. Just that I don't want to get wet…," Emily explained, frantically as she helped him up. "It's alright. At least now I know for sure it wasn't you now," Daniel replied. Why's that?" Emily asked. "You don't like the water so there's no way you would go all the way into the ocean to chase bad fish sellers," Daniel answered. "Right," Emily muttered, weakly.

*

"How do you like the canoe trip so far?" Amber asked Jordan while sat on a log. "I think it's really fun, but you must hate it," he answered. "Why do you say that?" Amber questioned. "You were more worried about capsizing," Jordan replied. "Sorry for not feeling like sitting in a canoe in drenched clothes the whole day," Amber said, sarcastically.

"You want to go to the beach?" Jordan asked. "No," Amber replied in a tone that left no room for discussion. "Let me guess. You didn't bring a bathing suit," he joked. "Exactly," she answered. Jordan shook his head, smiling. "You're impossible," he said. "Same goes for you," Amber retorted with a laugh.

*

On the way back, Jessica asked, "So what did you do during break?" "Nothing," the three girls replied at the same time. None of them had told the other what she had been up to during break. Jessica raised a brow, but shook her head and kept paddling.

Then someone accidentally splashed water into someone else's face. That's how the water fight started. Amber, Emily, Sarah and Jessica were at the back of the pack. Amber, Sarah and Emily tried hard to not go near the others. "Come on. I want to have fun as well," Jessica told them.

What happened next happened in a matter of seconds. Jessica was trying to paddle towards the others while Sarah, Amber and Emily tried to hold against it. At the same time Riley splashed water at them. Trying to dodge it, the girls leaned back as far away from the water as possible. Unfortunately with such a momentum that the canoe capsized, dumping them all into the water.

After a moment Jessica surfaced and took a deep breath. "Are you alright?" Daniel asked, paddling up to her. "I'm fine," she answered, "But where are Sarah, Amber and Emily?" Underwater Emily, Amber and Sarah looked up at the surface where Jessica had surfaced. Emily motioned for them to get out of there. Amber looked at the surface and balled her hand. Steam rose from the surface, making it impossible to see anything. "What's going on?" many people asked, but it was even impossible to see the hands in front of their eyes. "Just stay calm, everyone," Daniel told them, "It'll be gone soon." He tried to be calm himself, but he had seen something just before the steam had risen up. Something bronze that looked like a fin. Daniel wasn't sure what it could be, but he was sure that it wasn't a normal fish.

*

By the time the steam cleared, the girls were already in the moon pool. "That was too close," Sarah said, sitting in the sand in front of the moon pool. "Good thing you thought of that steam idea or we would have been found out," Emily agreed. "But that won't stop them for long," Amber pointed out.

There was a long silence and then Emily said, "Guys, I know we already told Lewis, but we need someone that is actually there that can cover for us. Think about it. If we all turn into mermaids, no one can cover for us." "What do you suggest?" Sarah asked. "We should tell Jessica," Emily answered. "Jessica! No way!" Amber snapped. "Why not?" Emily questioned. "It's her fault that all this happened today," Amber replied, not wanting to tell her friends that she didn't trust Jessica at all. "No, I think that you're going too far. She can't help it since she doesn't know," Emily said, annoyed. "I'm not changing my mind," Amber retorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"How about a vote? Who's against telling Jessica?" Emily asked and Amber raised her hand, "Who's for telling Jessica?" Emily raised her hand. Amber and Emily looked at Sarah. "What about you?" Emily questioned. "I don't know. I can see both sides," Sarah admitted. Her fellow mermaids looked at her annoyed. "I-I think we should tell her. Emily's right. She could cover for us," Sarah finally said and slowly raised her hand.

That snapped Amber. "Okay. If you tell Jessica, then I'm telling Jordan," Amber snapped. "Jordan! Are you crazy!" Emily retorted. "I trust Jordan a hundred times more than Jessica," Amber told them, "If you tell Jessica then it's over forever between you and me." With that Amber took off her necklace, but kept it in her hand and dove into the water.

"Amber!" Sarah called after her. "Leave her. It's her own decision," Emily said coldly. "Emily, we can't break up our friendship over something like this," Sarah retorted. "You saw that Amber is not willing to compromise. In our situation we have to compromise," Emily objected. "That wasn't a compromise. Emily, we have to go after Amber," Sarah said. "You know what? If you care more for your friendship with Amber than for ours, then I don't need you," Emily replied. Sarah's eyes widened as Emily took off her necklace, keeping it in her hand and dove into the water.

It all took a second to sink in, but when it did Sarah's legs gave way and she dropped on to the ground. She couldn't believe it. Was this how it would all end?

**A/N: **Are Sarah, Amber and Emily broken up forever? With them being on their own now, is this how it will end or could something bring them back together? Please review.


	12. Tsunami

**A/N: I'm so sorry for not uploading so long, but next week I have a week vacation so I should be able to upload the next one faster. Like always a big thanks to my readers and reviewers. Here's chapter 12, enjoy.**

Chapter 12: Tsunami

It was the night after the girls had broken apart. A dark figure crept to the docks of the camp and hot wired the speedboat. The boat sped off into the dark night. Clouds covered the sky, not letting any moon or starlight through. The figure docked the boat on the shore of Mako Island and walked off into the woods with a flashlight. Reaching the water fall, the person dropped into the hole in the ground and soon stood in front of the moon pool.

The person smiled as the person pulled a blue stone from his pocket. The stone glowed an eerie blue. The person kneeled in front of the moon pool and held the stone above the water. At first nothing happened, but then the stone began to glow stronger and a split second later the entire moon pool glowed as well. The person moved the stone up. The water copied the motion, creating a small wave. The person smiled. It worked.

*

Sarah couldn't believe her friends had really broken apart. Waking up the next morning, she half expected and maybe even hoped that it had been a bad dream, but when she entered the mess hall all her hopes were shattered. Emily sat on one side of the hall with Daniel, while Amber sat with Jordan on the other. Sarah sighed, sadly and got her breakfast. Looking around, she decided to sit down at an empty table in the middle. She thought back to yesterday evening.

_When she had finally managed to move from the spot at the moon pool, it must have been an eternity. Finally she swam back to shore, very slowly, dreading the moment she arrived at camp. After Sarah had arrived at camp and dried off, she just sat on the beach, staring out at the beach. For some reason she was sure this argument between Emily and Amber was a lot more serious than the last one and it wouldn't be resolved as easily._

"_There you are. We've been looking for you," Sarah heard someone say. She turned to see Ryan. "What do you mean?" Sarah asked. "After the canoe capsized, you, Amber, and Emily disappeared. We thought you had drowned, but that was impossible, since you wore life vests. What happened?" he answered. "We fell into the ocean and were carried to shore by a current," she lied._

"_What happened?" Ryan questioned, looking at her worried. "Didn't I just tell you that?" Sarah replied. "I meant with Amber and Emily," Ryan explained. "What are you talking about?" Sarah asked, pretending not to know anything. "A while back Amber appeared alone. She seemed furious and slammed the door to your cabin shut. We were afraid, that it would cave in from the force she had. Amber is refusing to talk to anyone at the moment. Then Emily showed up and walked along the beach after she saw that Amber was in the cabin. And now you're here. If you all came here together, you would have come back together," Ryan answered._

_Sarah lowered her head and muttered, "We had a fight." "Again?" Ryan questioned. "I think it's worse than before," Sarah admitted. "Don't worry. Everything will work out. You're best friends," Ryan comforted her and put his arm around her. "I'm sure you're right," Sarah lied and thought, "If a normal reason was the cause for the fight, maybe yes, but you don't know the whole story. It's over."_

"Earth to Sarah," someone said and Sarah snapped back into reality. Ryan had sat down beside her and was now waving his hand in front of her. "Sorry," she replied. "Still trouble with Amber and Emily?" he asked and Sarah nodded. "Why not try talking to them," Ryan suggested. Talking to them. That gave Sarah an idea. "Excuse me from swimming by Mrs. Rose," Sarah said quickly as she got up and hurried off. "Wait, where are you… going?" Ryan asked, but Sarah was already gone.

A while later Sarah rang Lewis' door bell. Lewis opened the door and looked at her surprised. "What are you doing here, Sarah?" he asked. "You said whenever we wanted to know something about our mothers we could come over," she answered as Lewis motioned for her to come in. Sitting in the living room, Lewis asked, "Where are Emily and Amber?" "At camp," Sarah answered.

"What happened?" Lewis questioned, noticing how uncomfortable Sarah got by the question. After a longer silence, Sarah told them what had happened. "Did our mothers ever have such a problem?" Sarah questioned. "Of course. It's impossible not to have one," Lewis comforted her. "It just feels like it's really over," Sarah told him. "Don't worry. Mermaids stick together no matter what," Lewis replied.

"Say Lewis. What was my mother like back then?" Sarah asked. "She was a lot like you. Cleo was afraid of the water before she became a mermaid, actually. After becoming one, she became stronger and more independent," Lewis told her, "Say can I ask you something?" "Sure," she replied. "Can I have a toenail clipping?" Lewis questioned and pulled out a nail clipper. "What?" Sarah said, confused and stared at him. "A toenail clipping. So I can work on the reason for you turning into mermaids," Lewis explained. "Okay," Sarah agreed as she grabbed the clipper and clipped a toenail, "Here." Now Sarah wondered about her mother's taste in guys. After a while Sarah left in a better mood. Lewis knew how to cheer people up.

Back at camp Sarah walked along the beach. Suddenly the sun left, making Sarah look up to see that dark clouds now hid the sun. "Sarah, where have you been?" someone asked. It was Ryan. "Around," Sarah answered. "You can't be any more mysterious can you?" he smiled. "I'm not sure," Sarah teased. "So you and your friends are okay again?" Ryan asked and immediately regretted asking as Sarah's mood became sad again, "Sorry." "It's okay," Sarah replied, but Ryan could tell her mood was back to before. "Want to go for a walk?" Ryan questioned.

After a moment of silence, Sarah said, "I want to thank you, Ryan." "What for?" he asked. "Since the beginning of camp, you were always at my side, comforting me, cheering me up, and telling me that everything would be alright," she told him. "It was nothing," Ryan replied. "That's just it. It might be nothing to you,… but for me it meant a friend I could rely on at any time," Sarah explained. Just then Sarah realized how close her face was to his and how much he meant to her. Slowly their faces came closer until they kissed.

Suddenly a siren sounded, startling them both. "What is that?" Sarah asked, covering her ears from the loud noise. "It's-It's a tsunami warning. There's a tsunami coming!" Ryan exclaimed. "What do we do?" Sarah questioned. "We have to meet up with everyone at the meeting point right away," Ryan answered as they got up and hurried off.

"It weird though," Ryan said. "What?" Sarah asked. "There was no earthquake. Usually an earthquake comes before a tsunami," he explained. Abruptly Sarah stopped. She had a bad feeling, but not a normal feeling. A magic feeling. "What wrong, Sarah?" Ryan questioned, stopping as well. "Go on ahead. I'll be right there," Sarah told him. "What!" Ryan exclaimed. "Go!" Sarah demanded and then turned around. Ryan watched her hurry off, but then ran on towards the meeting point.

*

Around the same time Sarah had come back to camp, Amber was sitting on a bend over palm tree. She was still mad and didn't know how Sarah and Emily had decided. If they really were going to tell Jessica, Amber would never forgive them, but she knew that they hadn't yet. If they had, Jessica would have already asked her about it.

"Hey," someone said. Amber turned to see Jordan. She smiled a hello as he sat down next to her, but if she had to be honest with herself, she didn't want to see anyone at the moment. "What happened?" Jordan asked for the millionth time. "Nothing happened," Amber answered, annoyed. "Of course. You were just about to exploded with rage over nothing yesterday," Jordan joked. "It's none of your business," Amber snapped. "Okay, okay. Forget I asked," Jordan replied, "Lets go to something more enjoyable." "Something more enjoyable?" Amber asked as if she didn't know what he meant. "You know what I mean," he replied as he leaned in to kiss her.

Suddenly the alarm sounded. "What's that?" Amber asked. "No idea," Jordan replied. "Well a siren can't be good," Amber concluded, "We should see if we can find someone." Just then Ryan ran past them. "Hey, Ryan! Hold up!" Jordan called. Ryan stopped and said, "What's up? We have to hurry." "What's going on?" Amber asked. "Don't you know this siren? A tsunami is coming," Ryan quickly explained and then they hurried on. While they were running, Amber was deep in thought.

*

At the same time Emily silently sat on a boulder on the beach. Although she still didn't agree with Amber, she felt horrible. Her fight with Amber, Emily knew, was the reason that they had broken apart. But why didn't Amber trust Jessica?

"How are you doing?" she heard Daniel ask as he sat down next to her. "Fine," Emily lied. "Really? So your fight with Amber and Sarah is over?" Daniel questioned. "How do you know about that?" Emily asked surprised. "Lets say when you're almost a councilor you hear stuff," Daniel answered, "So is it over?" "No, not really," Emily muttered. "What happened?" Daniel questioned. "I-I can't tell you. Sorry," Emily replied. "It's okay. You can tell me when you're ready," Daniel said, but Emily knew he was hurt that she didn't trust him.

Suddenly the alarm sounded. "The tsunami alarm!" Emily and Daniel exclaimed as they got up and hurried off. Arriving at the meeting point, they went to Mrs. Rose. "What's going on?" Daniel asked. "It seems a tsunami has appeared out of nowhere. Hopefully everyone is here soon. We need to evacuate right now. It's heading straight for us, for the Gold Coast," Mrs. Rose explained. Emily's eyes widened. Looking around she noticed Sarah wasn't there.

*

Meanwhile Sarah had hurried back to the beach. In the distance she saw the giant wave. It was coming straight for them. She knew she had to do something, but it was too dangerous to go out there alone.

Sarah raised her hand and activated her powers. From where she stood, she believed that the wave slowed down. As she kept on doing it, she felt herself getting a headache. "You need help?" she heard someone ask. Not taking her concentration off the tsunami, Sarah turned to see Emily. "Emily," she said. Then she saw that Emily was wearing her necklace. A smile came across Sarah's face. "Lets go," Emily replied, motioning towards the water. Sarah nodded.

They were about to jump in when someone else asked, "Need help?" Amber came up next to them. "Amber," Sarah said. Just then Amber pulled out her locket and put it on. Sarah smiled. "Ready?" Sarah questioned as looked to her left to Amber and then to her right to Emily. The blonds nodded and then they jumped into the water.

They zoomed through the water until they were close to the tsunami. They could feel it tug on them, pulling them in. The wave rose high over them at least 20 meters high. Simultaneously the girls raised their hands and did the motion that activated their power. Sarah tried to make the wave smaller and to minimize its force, while Emily used her power to slow the molecules in the tsunami to slow it down. At the same time Amber heated the water so it would evaporate.

The girls could feel their powers draining. Amber looked at the wave and thought that the wave shone blue, but not in the way the water shines when sun reflects of it. Amber shook her head and when she looked again, the water was normal again. Sarah looked back and saw that the Gold Coast was getting closer. "We have to stop it quickly," she said. "Easier said than done," Amber replied between her gritted teeth. "We have to or the Gold Coast will be destroyed," Emily objected. "One last time. Lets put the last of our energy in it," Sarah suggested. The blonds nodded.

With the last of their energy they used it on the tsunami. Like Amber and Emily, Sarah felt her eyes close from exhaustion. The exhaustion from swimming against the tsunami's force and overusing her powers. The last thing she saw before they closed was the tsunami coming closer and closer.

*

She heard waves crashing against the beach. As Sarah opened her eyes, she saw sand in the twilight. Every bone in her body hurt as she sat up. Looking around, she saw Amber and Emily a little down the beach. Sarah got up and staggered to them. "Emily. Amber. Get up. Are you alright?" Sarah said as she shook them. Slowly they woke up. "Where are we?" Emily asked as they sat up. "I think… we're on Mako," Amber answered as she looked around and then saw the volcano. "So it saved us from drifting off to sea," Emily concluded.

"What about the city?" Sarah questioned. In fear they turned to around, but they only saw the sun, which blinded them, fall. When their eyes got used to the blinding light, they saw the lights of the Gold Coast. Sarah, Emily and Amber gave a sigh of relief. "We have to get back," Emily said. The others nodded and dived into the water, but with every part of their body hurting, they swam very slowly.

Arriving at camp, Ryan came up to them. "Where were you?" he asked, "Mrs. Rose was going to have a heart attack." "How's everyone? What happened to the tsunami?" Sarah asked. "Everyone's fine. The tsunami shrunk the closer it got to the coast. By the time it reached us, it only did damage to the things very close to the shore," Ryan answered. "Where is everyone?" Emily questioned. "In the mess hall. Mrs. Rose wants to announce something," Ryan explained. "Lets go," Amber said and they walked to the mess hall.

As they entered, Mrs. Rose was almost done with her speech. "So because of the tsunami, camp will end tomorrow. Please call your family and see to it that you are picked up," she said. Amber, Sarah and Emily froze as reality hit them. Camp was over, which meant it was time to go back to their normal life. To different cities and most likely not see each other for a long time. Subconsciously the girls grabbed each others' hands. Was this the end?

**A/N: **Will the girls separate forever and will they never find out what had happened in their mothers' past? Please review.


	13. Reunion

**A/N: I intended to upload this yesterday, but I didn't have enough time. Sorry. Anyway thanks for reviewing and reading. Here is chapter 13**.

_italic = flashback_

Chapter 13: Reunion

Rikki walked down a corridor and came to a double door. Opening it, she came into a nice room. She froze. At another door stood Cleo and sitting at the table was Emma, who got up astonished when she saw the others. The three women stared at each other for a long time in silence. They hadn't seen each other in so many years and they didn't understand what was going on now. Rikki was the first to regain her voice. "Emma. Cleo," she said. "Rikki. Emma," Cleo put in. "Cleo. Rikki," Emma added. The former friends didn't understand anything anymore. "What are you doing here?" they asked at the same time.

"I think we can explain this," a voice said. The three women turned to another door that opened to reveal Amber, Sarah and Emily. It had been Sarah who had said that. The mothers saw the resemblance to each other. "Amber, what is going on here?" Rikki demanded. Amber could hear the tension in her mother's voice. "Emily, who are these girls?" Emma asked. "These are my friends from camp that I told you about," Emily answered.

"We need to talk to you," Amber continued, seriously. "About what?" Cleo asked. Sarah took a deep breath and then said, "We know your secret." The women looked at their daughters confused. "We know you're mermaids," Emily told them. The mothers stared at them baffled. "How did you find out?" Rikki finally asked.

The girls exchanged glances and then nodded. Sarah raised her hand towards a pitcher of water that stood on the table. She turned her hand, making the water rise higher and higher. "Oh my god," their mothers gasped. Sarah turned to see their mothers' eyes wide open and forgot to keep controlling the water. The water dumped on top of Amber, Sarah and Emily.

Within seconds they were on the floor as mermaids. "Sarah," Amber muttered annoyed. "Sorry," Sarah replied with a smile. Cleo, Rikki and Emma's eyes were ready to pop out of their eyes sockets. "You okay?" Emily asked them. Their mothers could only nod. In their daughter that laid before them, they saw their splitting image from 25 years ago. "Let me do this," Amber said and balled her hand. Steam rose up and soon the girls were on their feet again. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen again," Emily added and froze the water that was left in the pitcher.

Then they turned back to their mothers, who now understood why their daughters were so weird during parents day. "So Mako turned you into mermaids too?" Rikki asked and half concluded. The girls nodded. "What happened back then?" Sarah questioned, not being able to hold back her curiosity. "Back then?" Cleo repeated. "The reason you broke apart," Amber reminded them. "We know you were friends," Emily added. The mothers looked at each other. "I guess we should tell you the truth," Emma said as they walked over to the table and sat down.

"It all started…," Cleo began, but Sarah interrupted, "Wait! I think there is one other person who should hear this." Amber and Emily nodded while the mothers looked confused at their daughters. "Who?" Cleo asked. "Come in," Sarah said and the door from which the girls entered opened again.

The mothers eyes opened as they saw the person and stood up baffled. In the doorway stood Lewis. "You," Rikki muttered, astonished. "It can't be," Emma muttered, baffled. "Lewis!" Cleo exclaimed as hurried up to him and hugged him. "Cleo," he whispered. The girls smiled. "How can this be… You're-You're dead," Cleo stammered as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Dead?" the girls and Lewis repeated, confused and astonished. "I think it's time we talk," Amber said just as confused as everyone else and they sat down at the table again.

"Where should we start?" Emma asked. "At the beginning of college is fine. I told them the beginning," Lewis answered. "I thought we could trust you not to tell anyone," Rikki pointed out. "It was an accident," Lewis defended himself, "They appeared on my doorstep with the lockets that I thought you had…" "It doesn't matter anymore," Cleo pointed out, not wanting a fight and then began, "It all started 22 or 23 years back. We were all starting college. Of course we all went to the same college. Half a year later Lewis got an offer to study aboard in America for 4 years…"

_Cleo was relaxing in the moon pool when Lewis came through the opening. "I got to talk to you," Lewis said, coming up to Cleo. "Sure. What about?" she asked. "I got the offer to study aboard in America at one of the best science universities in the world," he told her. "That's great, Lewis. This like your dream come true," Sarah replied, happily, "When do you have to reply?" "That's the thing. They want an answer by the end of the week and then the next week I'm suppose to leave for America," Lewis continued. "That soon," Cleo muttered and Lewis could see she was a bit sad. "There's more. It takes 4 years," he added. Cleo thought for a moment._

"_I'm going to decline. You need me more here and…," Lewis began, but Cleo interrupted, "Are you crazy? You can't throw such a chance away, Lewis. Not for me." "But what about you, Emma and Rikki?" he objected. "We have figured out everything there is to know about the moon pool. Everything will be fine. Besides America isn't at the end of the world. Especially not for mermaids," she retorted, "Have you talked to the others yet?" "I have," Lewis admitted. "And what did they say?" Cleo asked. "Pretty much the same things as you. That I would be an idiot to throw such an opportunity away," he told her. "Then go call those people and tell them you're coming," Cleo replied. Lewis sighed and said, "I guess you're right. I'll go call them." Cleo smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss._

"Lewis left for America two weeks later," Emma added. "We exchanged letters, talked on the phone and wrote e-mails for a year," Cleo continued and then her eyes became sad, "But after a year had passed, I got a phone call. It was from your university. They told me you had died in an accident." Cleo's voice shook and her eyes filled with tears at the memory. Emma put her arm around Cleo. Their daughters were silent.

"I was in a car accident, but I wasn't badly injured," Lewis replied, confused, "I send you e-mails and tried to call you, but when you didn't reply I stopped trying." " I never received any of those," Cleo told him, perplexed, "Rikki, Emma and I had a small ceremony at the moon pool for you since you didn't have any other relatives. Your parents had died a two years before that." "Cleo wasn't able to get over your death well. It devastated her," Rikki said. "We weren't able to comfort her," Emma added.

"I needed someone to hold on to and he was there for me," Cleo told them. "He?" Lewis, Emily and Amber questioned. "My dad," Sarah muttered. Cleo nodded and continued, "I was in such a state that I was blind to anything. I soon demanded that he should know your secret too…" The mothers refused to meet anyone's gaze.

_Cleo watched as Emma and Rikki surfaced in the moon pool. After they all sat on the sand, Cleo said, "I'm glad you came." "Of course, we came," Emma replied. "What do you want to talk about?" Rikki questioned. "I want to tell Nate that we're mermaids," Cleo told them. Emma and Rikki were stunned and could only stare at their friend. Rikki was the first to regain her voice. "Are you crazy? You can't tell Nate," Rikki objected. "Why not?" Cleo asked. "Cleo, this is the guy that flirts with every girl, has no conscious, and will do anything to get attention. It's too risky," Rikki retorted. "What do you think, Emma?" Cleo questioned. "I'm not sure, but it does sound risky," Emma answered. _

"_I see. So if you want to tell your boyfriends, it's okay, but if I want to tell mine, it's too dangerous," Cleo said, angrily, "You could have a little faith in me. Isn't my trust in him enough for you?" "It's not like that Cleo. We trust you. It's just we don't trust Nate that much," Rikki tried to explain. "You know, just to prove you wrong, I should tell him," Cleo told them. "If you tell him, then our friendship is over," Rikki warned Cleo. "Cleo, reconsider. We've been together for ages. We've always trusted each other. Trust us," Emma replied, trying to talk some sense into her friend. "So you also think like Rikki. You think I'm making a mistake. You out of all the people I know, Emma, I thought you would understand. You didn't tell Ash for a long time. You know the pain, when you hide it from a person you love," Cleo retorted, "I expected more from you, Emma. I'm disappointed in you. You're not the friend you once were." With that Cleo pulled off her locket and held it in her palm. Stretching her arm out over the moon pool, she dropped it into the moon pool. Then Cleo jumped into the water._

"_Cleo," Emma muttered, astonished. "Let her be. She chose this for herself. Like I said. My friendship with her is over," Rikki told her, coldly. "We can't let it end like this. Cleo is still our friend," Emma protested. "Take Cleo's side if you want and stay with her, but keep me out of it. Risk your own secret," Rikki retorted, angrily. Emma watched astonished as Rikki yanked off her locket and dropped it in the sand. Rikki had enough of Cleo's impossible behavior since she went out with Nate. With a final look back, Rikki dove into the water and was gone._

_Emma looked around the empty moon pool. Emma didn't believe it was the end. They would make up. As she rested a hand on the cave wall, she heard a hollow sound. Emma carefully pulled the rock out and found a hole. Then she took off her locket and placed it in the little hiding spot. Replacing the rock, Emma was sure she would soon get it out of their again._

"I never went back to got my locket," Emma told them, sadly. "That's exactly where we found them," Emily replied. "Mom, did you ever tell dad?" Sarah questioned. Cleo paused for a moment and then answered, "No. After I left Mako, I was dead set to tell Nate, but whenever I tried it felt wrong. After I became pregnant with you, he left me for some blonde. I now know that I was an idiot. I was just… I don't know… confused and upset, I guess." "We haven't seen or talked since that day," Rikki said, "I moved away with Zane soon after." "And Ash and I also left the Gold Coast after that," Emma added.

"So it's no wonder I didn't find you when I returned," Lewis said. "Why didn't you come find me?" Cleo asked. "I did. I saw you together with Nate. You seemed so happy that I decided to leave you alone. Besides I thought you didn't like me anymore when you didn't answer my calls," Lewis answered. "Lewis, I still love you. I've never stopped loving you," Cleo told him. Instead of answering Lewis hugged her and then gave her a kiss. The daughter and the other mothers smiled.

After Lewis and Cleo were done, Sarah said as she took her locket off, "Here I believe these belong to you." "We found them in the moon pool where you left them," Emily added and did the same as Sarah. Amber nodded and followed suit. The girls held out their hands with the lockets in them. "Thank you, but I can't take it back," Emma told them. "Me neither," Cleo added. "I can't either," Rikki agreed. "Why not?" Amber asked. "Because I'm no longer a mermaid," the mothers all answered at the same time. They looked at each other astonished. "You too?" Cleo questioned and her friends nodded.

"Since when haven't you been mermaids?" Lewis asked. "Since I was pregnant with Sarah," Cleo replied. "Same here. Since I was pregnant," Rikki added. "It was pretty strange with me. While I was pregnant with James, my powers disappeared, but afterwards they came back. It was only after Emily was born that my powers disappeared forever," Emma told them. "Didn't you miss being mermaids?" Sarah asked. "After a while you see the positive sides and don't see it as bad as it really is. You can take a bath without a having to worry about how to get out again," Cleo answered. "You can swim where ever you want without worries," Emma added. "But some reflexes will never die," Rikki smiled.

Emma thought of something and questioned, "When did you become mermaids? The full moon was a week after camp started so…" "Actually, we became mermaids on the first night of camp," Emily corrected her mother. The mothers stared at their daughters. "How is that possible?" Cleo asked. "I thought it only worked on a full moon," Rikki said.

"I think I know," Lewis muttered. All heads turned to him. "I believe your mermaid genes disappeared, because your daughters inherited them," he told them. "But why didn't we turn into mermaids from the start?" Amber questioned. "You probably need the magic of the moon pool to trigger the transformation. It didn't need to a full moon because you already had the genes," Lewis explained. "But why didn't James get the genes then?" Emma asked. "I'm guessing because he's a boy," Lewis guessed. Emily giggled. "What's so funny?" Amber questioned. "I'm imagining my brother as a merman," Emily laughed. Everyone else started laughing too.

"By the way, whose idea was it to get us together?" Rikki asked. "Sarah's," Amber answered. "I had the first idea, but Emily and Amber helped form it," Sarah added. "We owe you a huge thank you. Through you we were brought back together," Cleo told them. The other mothers and Lewis nodded in agreement. "We have a favor to ask you," Emily began. "What is it?" Emma asked. "Our camp is having a good bye party tomorrow. Can we stay that long?" Emily questioned. "Of course," Emma answered and Rikki and Cleo nodded as well. The girls smiled.

"We'll leave you alone to talk," Sarah said and they began to walk away when Rikki exclaimed, "Hey, wait a minute! The tsunami! You stopped it from hitting the Gold Coast, didn't you?!" The girls froze and slowly turned around. "Well… we kind of did," Amber admitted, knowing lying to her mother didn't bring much. Cleo and Emma's eyes widened. "Are you crazy! You could have been killed!" Rikki yelled. "Sorry," Amber muttered and didn't meet her mother's eyes. Suddenly she was embraced by Rikki. "Thank goodness you're alright," Rikki muttered. Emma and Cleo also hugged their daughters. "We're so proud of you," Emma said. "You saved the entire city," Cleo added.

"We'll leave," Amber said and left. Closing the door behind them, the girls sighed. "That was close. They didn't find out about the solar eclipse," Amber said. "If they find out, we'll be in trouble," Emily replied. "How so? All we know is that the solar eclipse and the full moon are on the same day," Sarah pointed out. "But something is definitely wrong. I can feel it," Emily told them. The others nodded. "Something is definitely wrong," Amber thought, thinking of the blue light that she had seen during the tsunami, that she hadn't mentioned to Sarah or Emily yet.

**A/N: **That's right. This isn't the end yet, but it will end in a few chapters. Now I have a question for you. Should I do a sequel?

What will the party bring? What could be behind that blue light? Please review.


	14. The Party

**A/N: Here is chapter 14. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Enjoy.**

**CL888 No, I'm not a Star Trek fan. I thought up the reason why Emily, Sarah and Amber are mermaids.  
**

Chapter 14: The Party

Emily, Sarah and Amber sat in their hotel room. After their mothers had talked about all kinds of stuff that had happened during the last years, they had gone to the hotel. Their mothers shared one room, while they shared another.

"What should we do?" Emily asked. "About the solar eclipse? Nothing. We don't even know if anything will happen. I say we enjoy the party with our boyfriends and not worry about it," Amber answered. "But if something does happen, we will feel responsible," Sarah objected. "The solar eclipse isn't for a few days," Amber reminded them. "I agree with Sarah. Better safe than sorry," Emily said. "You always agree with Sarah," Amber pointed out. There was a long silence and then the girls laughed.

"Are you seriously going out with Jordan?" Sarah asked. Amber considered lying, but then answered, "I am." "How long have you been going out?" Emily questioned. "Since our argument, Emily," Amber replied and when she saw their faces, she added, "I told you everything, except for getting together with him. Besides, I heard that someone else also got herself a boyfriend." Amber looked at Sarah, who turned bright red. "How did you find out?" Sarah asked. "Gossip at camp," Amber smiled. "So you're together with Ryan?" Emily questioned. "I guess. We kissed just before the tsunami warning went off," Sarah told them. "So we all have boyfriends now," Amber concluded. "That is so cool," Sarah replied.

"I agree, but we have more important things to worry about right now," Emily reminded them. "You're right. What do we wear?" Amber joked, getting herself a glare from Emily, "Relax. It was a joke." "What do you suggest we do? We're not exactly professionals at the topic of astronomy," Sarah pointed out.

"We could ask Lewis," Emily suggested. "Lewis?" Sarah questioned, confused. "He help our mothers when they were mermaids so he must know a lot about Mako and stuff that has to do with it," Emily explained. "Yeah, but can we trust him?" Amber questioned. "Of course we can trust them. Didn't we already clear this question?" Sarah answered. "What I meant is can we trust that Lewis won't tell Cleo, who will obviously tell Emma and Rikki? If he does, our mothers will forbid us to go," Amber replied.

Emily and Sarah thought about it for a moment. "How about a vote? Who's for telling Lewis?" Emily asked and she and Sarah raised their hands. "Fine, I'm out voted. We'll go to Lewis, but don't come to me when he tells Cleo," Amber gave in. The other two nodded. "So when do we go?" Sarah questioned. "How about now," Emily suggested and Amber and Sarah nodded. After having left a message to their mothers, saying they were off for a swim, they hurried to the beach and swam off.

They soon arrived at Lewis' house and after Amber had dried them, they walked up the door. Lewis opened the door after the girls rang the doorbell. "What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised. "We need to talk to you," Sarah answered. Lewis nodded and said, "Come in." After they had all settled in the living room, Emily told him, "We have a question to ask you." "Can't you ask your mothers? They should know whatever you need to know about being mermaids," Lewis questioned. "We can't and you have to promise us you won't tell any of our mothers about what we're going to say now," Amber told him. "Okay, I promise. What's your question?" Lewis asked.

"What do you know of astronomy?" Emily questioned. "A bit. I can't say I'm an expert, but I'm not a complete idiot," Lewis answered, "Why?" "We all have a bad feeling about the upcoming solar eclipse. Could it impact Mako Island in some way?" Sarah told him. Lewis sat there thoughtfully for a moment and then replied, "To be honest, I have no idea. I've never had such a case before, but I don't see why it shouldn't effect Mako. Full moons do and since there is a full moon…." He got up and started to search his bookshelf and got out several books.

Lewis sat down at his table and began to read. The girls just sat there for a while, looking at him. "Lewis," Sarah began and made him look up. "Oh, you're still here? You can go. If I find anything, I'll tell you," Lewis told them and turned back to his book. The girls just nodded, astonished at how Lewis could simply forget that they were still there. Shaking their heads, they left. Outside Amber said, "I knew he was a bit odd, but that was just weird." "I have to agree with Amber on this," Emily replied. Sarah only nodded and added, "Lets go before our mothers think we drowned." The girls laughed.

That evening the girls arrived at the party. It was at the camp where the beach party had been. Of course they all looked amazing. They split up, each going with her boyfriend. Emily and Daniel sat at a table. "You had me worried, when you disappeared during the tsunami. Where did you go?" he asked. "I didn't leave. You must have not seen me," Emily lied, "I mean with so many scared campers, it's easy to oversee someone." Daniel knew that it was a lie, but he didn't want to ask any further, if Emily didn't want to tell him the truth.

"What will become of us after this?" Emily questioned. "You'll go back to Canberra and I'll go to college. We'll write e-mails and talk on the phone. A long distance relationship isn't impossible," Daniel answered. "You're right," Emily smiled and was kissed by Daniel.

On the other side of beach Ryan and Sarah sat in the sand. "So…," Sarah began. "So what?" Ryan asked. "We really a couple now?" Sarah questioned. Ryan leaned over and gently kissed her. "I guess so," Ryan smiled. "But what about when school starts?" Sarah asked. "You're in Brisbane and I'm in the Gold Coast. They're not that far apart. A bus ride on the weekends is manageable," Ryan told her. Sarah smiled in agreement and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Hey, can I ask something?" Ryan asked, breaking the silence. "Sure," Sarah answered. "Where did you disappear off to during the tsunami?" Sarah's eyes widened, but thankfully Ryan didn't notice it. "I went looking for Emily and Amber," she lied. "But you could have just met them at the meeting point," Ryan pointed out. "I just had a feeling," Sarah replied, "Lets not talk about it. Everyone is safe." She put her head on his shoulder again. Ryan smiled and put his arm around her.

Far away from the party, Jordan and Amber were arguing. "Tell me," Jordan said, annoyed. "No," Amber retorted, irritated. "Why not?" Jordan demanded. "There is nothing to tell," Amber replied. "Really? You disappear during a tsunami, come back hours later and expect me to believe nothing happened!" he said, angrily. "Yes," she answered. "Is it part of your other secret?" Jordan asked. "I also told you that I don't have a secret," Amber snapped, "If this is all you have to say to me, I'm leaving." Turning, Amber began to walk away, but Jordan grabbed her hand. "Wait. I'll stop, okay?" he said. Turning back, she smiled, "Thanks." Jordan stepped closer and kissed her.

"What will happened now? With you going back to Melbourne and all?" Jordan asked. "I don't know," Amber replied, but then something caught her eye. A blue light further down the beach. The same blue light as from the tsunami. "Everything alright?" Jordan questioned. "Yeah, I'll be right back," Amber answered and hurried off, leaving a confused Jordan behind.

Following the beach, Amber turned a corner and stood face to face with Jessica. "Jessica," Amber said. "Oh, hi, Amber. What are you doing here?" Jessica asked. "Nothing," Amber answered, uneasily, "What are you doing out here alone?" "Enjoying the peace and quiet," Jessica told her, innocently. Amber saw Jessica try to hide her right hand behind her back. "What's in your hand?" Amber asked, eying her hand. "Nothing," Jessica answered, unfortunately a bit too quickly. Amber narrowed her eyes.

Lightning quick Amber grabbed Jessica's hand and jerked it forward. Amber's eyes widened, realizing something. In Jessica's hand was a blue gem. The same blue that the tsunami had had. It wasn't the color though that made Amber feel weird. A strong magic was being admitted from the gem. The same magic that could be found on Mako.

"You," Amber muttered. "I'm amazed you found it out," Jessica smiled. Her voice was no longer nice and sweet, but dark and cold. "I knew something was wrong with you," Amber replied, "Why are you doing this? Why the tsunami?" "I'm sure you'll find out soon enough, but for now I need your help," Jessica told her. Amber raised a brow. "Help you. I'll never…," Amber began, but then Jessica raised the gem, making Amber look at it. A weird feeling flooded Amber and she felt her eyes closed. "You don't have a choice," she heard Jessica reply.

"Where is she? She's late," Emily asked, standing next to Sarah. It had been two hours since they had split up. They had planned to meet up almost half a hour ago. At first they had been annoyed, but now they were worried. Amber may often be late, but never this late. Just then Jordan came up to them. "Have you seen Amber, Jordan?" Sarah asked. "I was just about to ask you that," Jordan answered, "I haven't seen her for a hour." "But weren't you with her?" Emily questioned. "I was, but she suddenly left," Jordan told them. "Why?" Sarah inquired. "No idea, but I saw her with Jessica shortly after she left," Jordan remembered. "Thanks Jordan," Sarah replied and the girls hurried off.

Emily and Sarah soon found Jessica at the beach alone. "Jessica, have you seen Amber?" Emily asked. "Amber? No," Jessica replied. "But Jordan said he saw you with her," Sarah retorted. "No. I didn't see her at all today," Jessica repeated.

Just then Sarah saw something on Jessica's blouse. A red hairclip caught in the fabric. Sarah's eyes narrowed. "And why do you have Amber's hairclip?" Sarah asked. They saw something in Jessica change. "Tell us," Emily demanded since Jessica refused to answer. "You know the name Denman?" Jessica questioned. Sarah and Emily both shook their heads. "Ask your mothers. Got to go. Bye," Jessica told them and with that turned around and left, leaving Emily and Sarah confused and worried.

**A/N: **What happened to Amber and what does Denman have to do with this? How does Jessica know Denman? Please review.

I'm glad some people want a sequel and my question for a sequel is still open so tell me if you want one. I'm trying to think of plot for it.


	15. Kidnapped

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews and of course for reading. Here is chapter 15. Enjoy.**

Chapter 15: Kidnapped

When Emily and Sarah had finally managed to muster the courage to return to the hotel it was late. If they met Rikki, they knew they would be killed. They now stood in front of their hotel room. "So what do we do now?" Sarah asked. "Pray that we don't meet our mothers," Emily answered. "But we have to ask them about Denman," Sarah pointed out. "We'll ask Lewis," Emily replied and opened the door, "You know Rikki will kill us, if she finds out."

"Why will I kill you?" someone asked from inside the room. Turning on the light, the girls saw their mothers sitting on a bed, looking angry. "Rikki!" Emily and Sarah exclaimed, scared. "What shouldn't I find out?" Rikki demanded and then noticed something, "Where is Amber?" "Well…," Sarah began, but couldn't say anything else, fearing Rikki. "Tell me," Amber commanded, tapping her foot and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"We don't know," Emily finally admitted. "What!" the mothers exclaimed. "She disappeared during the party," Sarah explained to the worried mothers, "And then our old roommate Jessica came to us and told us to ask you about a person named Denman." Emily and Sarah saw their mothers' expressions change. "Did you say Denman?" Cleo muttered. The girls nodded. "Sit down," Emma told them with a grave expression. Emily and Sarah sat down at the table, scared.

* * *

Her head felt weird and hurt. As Amber opened her eyes, she saw that blue gem again, in some sort of machine that was attached to the tank she was in. She seemed to be a lab. The tank was just big enough for her to fit inside. It had a lid on top with some air holes and it was locked. As her head stopped feeling dizzy, Amber knew she had to get out of her. Raising her shaking hand, Amber balled her fist, wanting to melt the glass of the tank. For some reason nothing happened.

"Save your energy, Amber," a voice said. Turning, Amber saw Jessica at the door. "What do you want from me? What is going on?" Amber demanded, trying to hide her fear. "Don't act tough. It's only natural to be scared when you're faced with your greatest enemy," Jessica replied, coolly. "Go to hell," Amber cursed and balled her hand, wanting to burn Jessica, but again nothing happened. "Damn it," Amber swore as Jessica leaned against a table. "No matter how many times you try, it won't work," Jessica smiled.

"What do you want from me?" Amber repeated, calmly. "Revenge," Jessica replied, curtly, in a cold voice. "What did I do to you?" Amber asked, confused, "I may not like you, okay, I hate you, but I never did anything to you," "You didn't. Your mothers," Jessica corrected her, "Ever hear of the name Denman?" "No," Amber replied. "Your mother never told you about her life, did she?" Jessica questioned. Amber shook her head.

"Denman. Den…man," Amber thought and then she realized something. "What was your last name again?" Amber asked. "Manden," Jessica answered. "Your name… You're related to that person, aren't you?" Amber concluded. "Very smart, Amber. Apparently you are smart than you look," Jessica replied, "You're right. I am related to her. She is my mother."

"I still don't understand," Amber said. "Your mother and her friends ruined my mother's life," Jessica told them, angrily, "My mother was a famous marine biologist back in the day. When she came to the Gold Coast, she found out your mothers' secrets. She wanted to help them, but they betrayed her. Your mothers lost their powers. All the money she put into the research was lost and my mom's name was ruined."

"If she's anything like you, then I doubt she really wanted to help them," Amber sneered. "Why you! She soon believed that your mothers hadn't lost their powers and she wanted to get back at them. My mother was working at an university in America at the time," Jessica continued. "University…," Amber muttered, triggering a train of thought, "It was your mother! She broke Cleo and Lewis apart!" "I really underestimated your intelligence, Amber. You're right, she did break them apart. She had the call made that Lewis was killed and made sure none of Lewis' e-mails and such didn't get to Cleo. It was all too simple. After your mothers broke up, she watched them closely," Jessica told her.

"And you then went into the same camp as Emily, Sarah and me?" Amber questioned. "Correction. We sent those fliers to your mothers," Jessica answered. "So you planned it all," Amber concluded. "No. There was one thing I did not predict. I was planning on using you to get to your mothers. I had not believed that you too were mermaids," Jessica said. "So she doesn't know that our mothers aren't mermaids anymore," Amber thought.

"Well, enough chitchat. I need you now," Jessica said and walked towards the gem. "I am not helping you, not matter how much you ask," Amber retorted. "I don't believe I asked you," Jessica replied and held the gem in front of Amber's face. Again a weird sensation over came Amber and her eyes closed. "Damn… you," Amber muttered.

* * *

Meanwhile Emily and Sarah were searching for Amber, turning over every stone for her. If she was in Denman's hands, she was in grave danger. The mothers were also searching for Amber. Just then Jordan came up to them. "You guys know where Amber is? I've tried to call her on her cell phone, but she doesn't answered," he asked. "Ah… no," Sarah answered. "What Sarah means is Amber isn't here right now. She went for a walk," Emily lied. "But why won't she answer her phone?" Jordan questioned. "She couldn't find it this morning so she left without it," Sarah replied. "Listen, Jordan, we have to go. See you later," Emily told him and hurried off with Sarah, leaving a baffled Jordan.

Out of Jordan's sight, Sarah said, "That was so close." Emily nodded. They kept walking until they reached a secluded beach. "We looked everywhere. Where is she?" Emily asked. "Look," Sarah replied and pointed in front of them. There stood Amber. Around her neck hung Jessica's necklace. "Amber!" the girls exclaimed and hurried up to her, "Are you alright? What happened?"

Emily and Sarah froze when they noticed something was wrong with her. Amber's blue eyes were icy and had no emotion what so ever in them. Suddenly Amber raised her hand and balled it. Sarah put up her left hand, but she felt a horrible pain. She gave a cry of pain and looked at her hand. It was burnt. Emily and Sarah stared at Amber astonished.

"What's wrong with you?" Emily demanded, but Amber didn't reply. Silently Amber was raising her hand again, when Emily exclaimed, "Oh no, you don't!" Quickly Emily made her hand into a stop sign and activated her powers, not exactly sure herself what she was planning, only wanting to stop Amber from hurting one of them again. For some reason nothing happened. "Why won't it work?" Emily asked, confused. Amber's hand was up and Emily and Sarah braced themselves for another burn. Suddenly Amber began to shake. "R-Run," she stammered. Emily and Sarah believed they saw Amber's eyes turn to their normal color for a moment. Quickly they ran for it.

When they stopped running, Emily asked, "You alright?" "It'll be alright," Sarah answered. "Let me help," Emily replied and used her powers to cool the burn. "Thanks," Sarah smiled, "But what happened to Amber? It seemed as though she was in a trance or something." "And my powers didn't work. Something cancelled them out," Emily added, "You realize what Amber smelled like?" "Yeah, I think it was chlorine," Sarah said, disgusted. "Exactly. Wherever Amber was and probably is, there was a ton of chlorine," Emily concluded.

"Sarah, Emily, what are you doing here?" someone asked. Looking up the girls saw Ryan and Jordan. Just then Emily got an idea and asked, "Ryan, is there any abandoned swimming pools near here?" "Swimming pools. No, but there was one, that was turned into some sort of lab near the beach," Ryan answered. The girls looked at each other and nodded. "Thanks," Sarah replied, gave him a kiss on the cheek and turned around, walking away.

"Amber has to be there. Tonight we go there. We have to save her," Emily told her. Sarah nodded and hurried off.

What Emily and Sarah didn't know, is that Jordan and Ryan had heard all of it. "I always knew something weird is going on with them," Jordan said. "You're right. There's something weird about them. Something different," Ryan added, "You think what I'm thinking?" "Follow them and find out what's going on. I'm in," Jordan replied.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Amber felt her head hurt even more than before. "What a weird dream," Amber muttered, rubbing her head, groaning. "You sure it was a dream?" Jessica asked, leaning against the table again. Amber muttered, scared, "Don't tell me…" "That's right. That wasn't a dream. It was reality," Jessica smiled, evilly. Amber covered her mouth with her hand in horror. She had hurt Sarah. Then her horror turned into rage. "You! You controlled me! How!" Amber demanded. "Isn't it great what the right accessories can do?" Jessica asked, calmly. Amber froze and looked at the gem. "That," Amber stammered, "What is that?" "A gem from the Mako Island. It has the ability to put a mermaid into a trance and has its own magic, which is strong than any of yours," Jessica told him. "Put mermaids into a trance," Amber repeated, scared, "You controlled me. How can you use its powers? Are you a mermaid too?" "No. You just need the right combination of moon magic and your own blood. On the full moon before camp I created that gem out of a crystal from moon pool, my blood and the magic of the full moon. Using my blood, I can control the gem. The moon demands a tribute from a human to use its powers. I intended to use it on your mothers, but it works on you as well. I'm pleased," Jessica explained.

"I don't get it. What do you plan to do with me? Make me keep on attacking Sarah and Emily?" Amber demanded, annoyed. "Oh, no. That would be too simple. I'm going to ruin your lives, just like you ruined my mother's." Jessica sneered and got up, "I got to go.

After Jessica left, Amber dropped to the floor of the tank. She was scared, though she hoped she hid it well. She wouldn't let Jessica have the satisfaction of seeing her scared. "Damn gem…," Amber muttered as she felt the gem's magic pushing down on her mind, making her feel weak, "You won't get away with this, Jessica."

* * *

Jordan and Ryan carefully followed Emily and Sarah. It was dark and they were walking towards the swimming pool. Suddenly Daniel appeared behind them. "What are you doing?" he asked and then saw Emily and Sarah, "Hey, it's the girls. He!…" Ryan and Jordan quickly covered his mouth before he could get the girls' attention. The girls didn't notice.

Finally Daniel got his mouth free. "What is wrong with you?" he demanded, annoyed. "Quiet. We're following them," Ryan replied. "You mean stalking?" Daniel corrected them. "No. Something is wrong with Amber. Something weird is going on. Have you ever noticed something weird about Emily?" Jordan asked. Daniel though about it for a moment and then answered, "You're right. Emily is… different. In a good way, but I can't explain it." "I'm worried about Amber. That's why we are following them. We want to know what's going on," Jordan told him. "We'll lose them, if we keep talking," Ryan interrupted. "Lets go," Daniel said and they went on.

Meanwhile Emily and Sarah had reached the lab. They had obviously hadn't told their mothers. They would have insisted on coming along, even though they were no longer mermaids and had no magic. The lab was right on the beach. Sarah held her nose and said, "Smells like chlorine." "If we don't find Amber here, I don't know where," Emily replied. Seeing the surveillance cameras at the entrances, Sarah asked, "Now how do we get in without being noticed?" "Leave it to me," Emily smiled and raised her hand. She froze the cameras and made them explode. "Lets go," Emily muttered and headed inside, not knowing they were being watched by Jordan, Daniel and Ryan.

"What did Emily do?" Daniel questioned. "I'm not sure. I think she did something with the camera," Ryan replied. "What do we do? Wait?" Daniel asked. "I'm going inside," Jordan answered and was about to go in, when Ryan grabbed his wrist. "You crazy. We have no idea what could go on in there," Ryan told him and grudgingly Jordan went back to their hiding spot.

Inside Emily and Sarah walked down a hallway. "Where could she be?" Emily muttered. "If it's a lab then it must be a big room," Sarah replied. Just then they both felt a huge magical energy. Drawn to it, they opened a door and froze. In the middle of machines Amber laid in a tank. "Amber!" they exclaimed and hurried to her. Amber didn't react to their shout. Dismayed Sarah stood in front of the tank and wanted to touch the glass, when Emily grabbed her hand and warned, "Don't. We don't know what could happen." "But we have to get her out of there," Sarah objected as staring at Amber's pale face. She looked so weak.

Emily looked at the machines. "Hey, it's that gem that was around Amber's neck earlier," Sarah noticed, "You feel that?" "Magic. Moon magic," Emily replied and Sarah nodded. "It's connected to the tank. Why?" Sarah questioned. Emily shrugged. "Okay. I have no idea how to unlock that tank," Emily admitted, "Step back." Emily raised her hand, but Sarah objected, "Wait! You could hurt Amber." "We have no other choice, if we want her out of there," Emily retorted and Sarah resigned, stepping back, "I'm guessing that to keep Amber in, they did something with the glass from the inside, but not the outside." "Hurry up before Jessica comes back," Sarah said. Emily nodded and focused her powers on the glass of the tank. The glass exploded, making glass shards fly everywhere.

Suddenly the alarm went off. Carefully Emily and Sarah lifted Amber out of the tank. "Amber, can you hear us?" Sarah asked, trying to be louder than the alarm. "We have to get out of here before someone comes back," Emily said as they each put one of Amber's arms around there shoulders and walked as fast as they could towards the exit. Amber groaned and muttered, "Emily… Sarah…" "Don't worry. It'll be fine," Sarah replied. "It was Jessica," Amber whispered, confirming the girls' suspicion.

Outside the girls stopped to catch their breath. "We have to swim. Are you able to?" Emily asked. "Wait," Amber muttered and turned to the lab. She raised her shaking hand and balled her fist. Astonished Emily and Sarah saw lightning come down and strike the lab, causing a fire to ignite. "Burn in hell," Amber whispered, watching the lab burn down. "Are you crazy? What if someone finds out?" Emily demanded. "How? If Jessica does that, I'll tell them what she did," Amber said and then saw Sarah's bandaged arm, "I'm sorry Sarah. I was being controlled. I would never…" "It's okay. I'll be alright," Sarah interrupted, "Now lets go." The girls nodded and dove into the ocean.

The boys got out of their hiding spot, staring. They saw the girls swimming away with bronze tail fins.

**A/N: **The boys have found out the girls' secret. What will happen now? Will they keep it or will it be too much for them to handle? Please review.


	16. Truth

**A/N**: **Like a always a huge thanks to all the readers and reviewers. Here is chapter 16. Enjoy.**

Chapter 16: Truth

"What was all that about?" Daniel asked as the boys sat down at camp, confused. "I always knew that they were different, but this…," Jordan began, baffled. "What are they?" Daniel questioned. Finally Ryan, who had been silent the entire time answered, "They-They looked like mermaids." "But mermaids don't exist," Jordan objected. "Say whatever you want, but you know what you saw. You know it's true," Ryan retorted. Jordan shut up.

"Now that I think about it back then when I fell off the dock, I saw something that reminded me of a mermaid. I told the girls, but Sarah insisted that mermaids didn't exist and that I hit my head. They had also asked me a couple times about mermaids and other stuff. Now it all makes sense. It was Sarah. She rescued me back then from drowning. She was the mermaid I saw," Ryan told them. "Something like that happened to me too. When I was at the beach with Amber, I was jet skiing while she was sitting on the beach. She suddenly disappeared and shortly after I fell into the water I saw a bronze tail fin. It was the same as the girls'. I asked Amber, but she denied everything, of course. It was Amber, who I saw," Jordan concluded. "And back then when I was accused of the whole fish thing, I asked Emily how she had gotten to the boat so quickly, but she rejected having anything to do with it. That explains it. She got there so fast because she was a mermaid," Daniel said.

"Now we know why they never got close to the water. They would became mermaids," Ryan concluded. "So what now?" Daniel asked. The boys looked at each other, unsure.

* * *

Meanwhile Emily and Sarah had brought Amber back to the hotel into their room. Exhausted Amber collapsed on a bed. "You alright, Amber?" Sarah asked. "I'll live. I'm tired, that's all," Amber answered, weakly, resting against the pillows. "I'll get Rikki and the others," Emily told them and left. "Amber, what did Jessica do to you?" Sarah questioned, worried. "I'll tell you as soon as everybody is here," Amber replied.

Just then Emily and the mothers burst in. The mothers froze when they saw the weakened and pale Amber laying on the bed. "Amber! Are you alright?" Rikki questioned, scared, hurrying to her daughter's side and taking her hand. "I'm fine, mom," Amber insisted. "Did that girl Jessica do this to you?" Sarah asked. Amber only nodded and Emily inquired, "Why? What does she have against you?" "Not against me exactly. She has something against you," Amber corrected her. "Against us? Why?" Sarah questioned.

"I know you know the name Denman. Jessica told me so," Amber said. The mothers froze as well as Emily and Sarah. "Denman," the mothers whispered. "What does Jessica have to do with Denman?" Emily questioned. "Jessica is Denman's daughter," Amber told them. "What!" the others exclaimed. "She's out to get revenge on you for her mother. Denman has been tracking you for a long time. She doesn't know though that you are no longer mermaids," Amber explained. "She's sending her daughter to get back at us. That can't be very hard to deal with," Rikki said. "You're wrong. Jessica has a gem, which is enhanced with moon magic and her own blood so that it will obey her," Amber replied. "But it was destroyed in the lab. We have nothing to worry about anymore. Jessica can't harm us," Sarah pointed out. "I doubt it. It's a lot stronger than anything I can conjure. It's able to make us do anything Jessica wants us to, if we look at it. That's the reason I attacked you before. I'm almost sure it's still intact and by now Jessica has gotten it back," Amber told them. "So what now? Will she stop?" Emma questioned. "Denman, stop. If she is anything like her mother, she won't," Rikki answered.

"She definitely won't. She wants to ruin our lives, the way you ruined her mother's," Amber agreed and then remembered something, "Cleo, there's something I have to tell you." "What?" Cleo asked. "It was Denman who broke you and Lewis apart. She made sure that you thought he was dead. It was one of her tricks," Amber told her. The horror was clearly written on Cleo's face. The others looked devastated. The horror and devastation was quickly replaced by anger. "I can't believe we fell for it," Cleo muttered. "Nobody could have known," Emma comforted her. "She'll pay for it," Rikki added. "We'll take care of her," Amber said.

"We have to find and stop her," Sarah said. "But we can't do anything at the moment. We have no idea where she is," Emily pointed out. "Then we wait. She'll have to show herself eventually," Sarah answered. Amber and Emily nodded.

"For now, lets let Amber rest," Rikki said and the others nodded. "And as for you two, you're in trouble. How dare you just leave. That was very dangerous," Emma scolded the girls. Emily and Sarah hung their heads low. "Don't be mad at them. They only did it to save me," Amber muttered and then fell asleep. "We'll discuss this next door," Sarah whispered and they left.

A few hours later, the sun had risen, when Sarah and Emily woke up. They had slept on the couch in their mothers' room so they wouldn't disturb Amber. Sarah and Emilywere eating breakfast alone since their mothers had gone to Lewis' house to talk, when a cell phone rang. Immediately they both grabbed their phones. "It's a message from Daniel," Emily smiled, "He wants to meet me at the beach in 30 minutes." "That's great," Sarah replied. "I'm not so sure. We're leaving to go back home soon. This is one of the last times I'll be able to see him," Emily explained, sadly.

Just then Sarah's phone rang and cheered, "It's Ryan. He wants to meet me at camp near the beach. But why? We said we would meet next week." "Be happy. You get to see him more often then," Emily replied. "I am happy, but I think something is wrong. I'm just not sure what," Sarah said. "So you're not going to meet him?" Emily questioned. "I am. I'm just saying I'll be careful," Sarah answered. Emily shrugged and after they had checked on Amber, who was still sleeping, they left.

Outside they met Jordan. "Hey girls. Where's Amber?" he greeted them. "Hey Jordan. Amber is still sleeping. She had a long night yesterday," Emily told him. "Should we tell her something from you?" Sarah asked. "No, thanks. I'll call her later," Jordan told them and left. Making sure Sarah and Emily weren't watching, he turned back around and walked towards the hotel. Sarah and Emily walked together for a while and then split up to meet Ryan and Daniel.

* * *

Amber tossed and turned in the bed. She was having a nightmare. She was under the control of the gem and was killing Sarah and Emily. Although she saw it all too clearly, Amber couldn't stop herself. She had no control of herself. Finally she was able to cry, "Stop!"

Suddenly her mouth was being covered and Amber woke up with a start. Breathing hard, she was glad that her nightmare was over and that she was awake. "You alright?" someone asked. It was a man's voice. Surprised she turned to see Jordan. "What are you doing here?" she questioned, "How did you get in here? Where are Emily and Sarah?" "Calm down. I wanted to see you and since the door was locked, I picked it. I believe Emily and Sarah are meeting Ryan and Daniel. Any more questions?" Jordan answered and Amber shook her head, "Good. Now are you alright?" "I'm fine. It was only a nightmare," Amber replied, meekly as the images flashed through her head again. "What was it about?" Jordan asked. "It was something very silly now that I think about it," Amber lied.

"Did it have something to do with Jessica?" Jordan inquired. Amber froze. "How does he know?" Amber thought and then answered, trying to play the confused, "Why would I have a nightmare about Jessica? I may not like her that much, but a nightmare. That's ridiculous." "Really? After being so beat up by Jessica last night nothing would surprise me," Jordan said.

"Last night… You were there?" Amber stammered, astonished. "I saw everything outside of the swimming pool," Jordan told her. "If he knows, then it's almost certain that Daniel and Ryan know too. Wait! Didn't Jordan say Emily and Sarah are meeting them? It's a trap!" Amber thought, horrified and saw her cell phone laying next to her on the bed, "If only I could reach my phone." "You're a mermaid," Jordan continued.

Amber decided that it was too late to avoid it and nodded. "How did that happen?" Jordan asked as she carefully inched hand towards her phone, making sure he didn't see. "Emily, Sarah and I were on Mako at the right place at the right time. We were transformed into mermaids," Amber explained as she finally got her a hold of her phone. "And the lightning?" Jordan inquired. "We got powers as well. I got fire and lightning," Amber answered, not wanting to say too much until she had a chance to talk to Emily and Sarah about it. Hiding her phone from Jordan, she quickly typed, "Danger! The boys know." Then she send the message to Emily and Sarah.

"What does Jessica have to do with this?" Jordan asked. "Jessica found out and wants to harm us. Like she did to me last night," Amber replied. "We have to tell the police," Jordan said and walked to the door. "What! Are you crazy? You can't tell anyone! If the wrong person finds out, Emily, Sarah and I could end up as science experiments!" Amber exclaimed, horrified and tried to get up, but the whole room spun. "We can't just let her get through with this," Jordan retorted, angrily and left. Amber dropped back onto the bed, thinking "This is bad. Hurry back soon, Emily, Sarah. I can't stop him alone." For now all she could do was hope that Emily and Sarah got the message in time before they were discovered.

* * *

Emily waved, smiling, when she saw Daniel on the secluded. "I got your message," she said and gave him a kiss. "I see that," Daniel replied also smiling. "I'm glad I get to see you before I leave again," Emily told him. "Me too," Daniel answered, "Lets go for a walk." Emily nodded and they head down the beach. Something seemed weird. "Daniel's acting strange," she thought, but pushed it aside, "It is our last meeting before I leave. Of course it's awkward."

Suddenly Daniel picked her up and startled Emily gave a yelp. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Nothing," he replied as he walked towards the ocean. Emily's eyes widened. "Don't you dare. Daniel, turn around," Emily told him, scared. Just then her phone rang. She got it out, but it slipped out of her hand, landing in the sand. "Daniel, stop. I dropped my phone," she said, but he still didn't stop walking towards the ocean. He was now up to his knees in water. "Daniel, turn around! Don't you dare drop…!" Emily ordered, but then she was dropped into the water.

Coming up for air, she froze. Daniel stood on the beach again, staring at her. Emily let the waves carry her to shore, where she picked up her cell phone. Amber's message was on the screen. Slowly she looked up at Daniel. "You knew?" Emily choked, "How?" "We saw you last night when you were rescuing Amber," he explained, "How did you become a mermaid?" Emily knew it made no sense to keep anything from him so she said, "I'll tell you the short version for now. Then we go to the hotel to Amber and Jordan." Daniel nodded satisfied and Emily told him how it happened. "You must think we're complete freaks," Emily muttered. "Freaks. Are you kidding? This is so cool," Daniel replied as he pulled her out of the water. Emily smiled at him.

* * *

Sarah found Ryan on a log bench. "Hey," Ryan smiled and gave her a kiss. "Hey. I thought we were meeting next week," Sarah replied as she sat down. "Is it forbidden to want to see your girlfriend?" Ryan asked. "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad to see you," Sarah answered. "You want something to drink? I brought something with me," Ryan questioned. "Sure," Sarah replied and Ryan got up to get the drinks.

Just then her phone rang. Getting it out, she saw Amber's message. Sarah froze. "Is this some kind of joke? How could they have found out?" Sarah wondered, silently. Sarah wasn't sure what to do. If it was true, she was in trouble. "Something wrong?" Ryan asked, coming back with two bottles. "It's nothing," Sarah answered as she accepted the bottle. Ryan opened his bottle and drank some of it.

"Maybe Amber mistyped. Maybe she meant that Jordan found out," Sarah thought. Suddenly she felt water being poured on her head. Turning to Ryan, she saw he was pouring water on her head. Before she could run, Sarah transformed into a mermaid. "So you did know," she muttered. "Yeah. We found out last night," Ryan explained, "This is amazing. You look so cool." Sarah smiled. "I owe you a lot. You saved me at the beginning of camp, didn't you?" Ryan said. "I couldn't let you drown," Sarah replied. "How did this happen?" Ryan asked. Just then Sarah turned back to normal. "Lets go back to the hotel. I'll explain on the way," she told him.

* * *

Sarah and Ryan met Emily and Daniel in front of the hotel. With one look they knew that their secret wasn't one anymore. "Lets go upstairs," Emily suggested and the others nodded. When they entered the girls' room, Amber demanded, "Where were you? What took you so long?" "We came as fast as we could," Sarah replied. "Where is Jordan?" Emily asked. "That's the problem. He ran off when he found out what Jessica had done. He said that we should call the police, but I think I was able to talk him out of it. Then he stormed off saying, that she won't get away with it," Amber explained. "What!" the others exclaimed. "That idiot," Daniel muttered. "We have to find him before he does something stupid," Ryan told them. The girls smiled at each other about how great the two guys were handling it. "If you help me, I'll come along," Amber said and Emily and Sarah nodded.

They were about to leave, when Amber's phone rang. It was Jordan. "Where are you? Don't you dare go near Jessica. She's dangerous," Amber ordered. "Too late," a female voice laughed. Jessica. "What did you do to him?" Amber demanded as the others looked at her worried. "Nothing… yet. What can I do about it if he comes to me and attacks me? What an idiot," Jessica replied, "If you want to save him come to the beach." With that she hung up.

Amber slowly lowered the phone. The others watched her closely. "We have to hurry. Jessica has Jordan," Amber muttered, meekly. Quickly they hurried off.

* * *

Arriving at the beach, they saw Jessica with a tied up and blindfolded Jordan at her feet. Emily and Sarah motioned for the guys to stay back so they were out of harm's way. "Jordan!" Amber exclaimed and tried to hurry to him, but suddenly a water barrier went between them. She saw Jessica controlling the water with the gem, that was around her neck. "I don't think so," Jessica sneered. Amber backed up. "Amber," Jordan said. He didn't sound so tough anymore. "Don't worry, Jordan. We'll save you," Amber assured him. "And how will you do that?" Jessica questioned.

That snapped Amber and she balled her hand. Nothing happened. "Silly girl," Jessica sneered and made a hand gesture. A strong wind knocked Amber off her feet. "Amber!" Sarah and Emily exclaimed as they kneeled down beside her. "Maybe I should finish you off right now," Jessica suggested and did another hand motion towards the girls. Instinctively all three girls did their hand sign. The powers collided in the middle, making sand fly everywhere. Annoyed, Jessica let out more power, overwhelming the girls. A wind made the girls rolled across the sand. "You are no match for me," Jessica smiled, evilly.

Slowly Jessica stepped towards them. Just then Sarah had an idea. "Emily, get ready to grab Jordan," Sarah whispered. Emily nodded, barely visible. "Go!" Sarah yelled as she called upon wind, that whirled sand around Jessica, blinding her. Quickly Emily yanked Jordan towards the others and then they ran for it. Sarah looked back to see that Jessica had freed herself from miniature tornado, but she didn't follow them.

At the deserted camp, they stopped running. They freed Jordan from his ropes and blindfold. "You alright?" Sarah asked. "I'm alright. Thanks for saving me," Jordan replied. "Idiot! If you hadn't been so stupid, you wouldn't need saving!" Amber yelled. "Well, it's better than hiding from her," he retorted. "We're not hiding. We're waiting for an opportunity to strike," Amber snapped, annoyed, "We don't want to get anyone killed. Jessica is dangerous."

"Stop it, both of you," Emily interrupted them. Amber and Jordan shut up. "How about we tell the boys the complete truth," Emily suggested and the other girls nodded. The girls told them everything. After they were done, Amber said, "If it isn't obvious, you can't tell anyone." She looked directly at Jordan. Daniel and Ryan nodded, while Jordan replied, "I get it. It was a stupid move. I'll stop interfering and I swear I won't tell anyone." Amber smiled at him, pleased.

* * *

That evening Sarah, Emily and Amber sat in their room. "I'm glad we don't have to lie to them anymore," Sarah said. "I'm glad that nobody got killed today. It wouldn't surprise me, if Jessica did that," Amber replied. "Did you notice? During the time our attacks collided, we were even," Emily reminded them. "Until she put more power into it," Amber retorted. "But you're still not completely healthy again," Sarah pointed out. "We have a chance. We don't need more than that," Emily said.

"Don't forget that the solar eclipse is tomorrow. We still have no idea what could happen," Amber reminded them. The solar eclipse was still their secret. That was the one thing they hadn't told their mothers or the boys. The only one who knew their worries was Lewis. The girls nodded gravely.

**A/N: **What will the solar eclipse bring? Can the girls defeat Jessica or will they have to suffer the revenge that the Denman family believes they deserve? Find out on the season finale of Next Generation Mermaids. Please review.


	17. Solar Eclipse

**A/N: This is the last chapter of Next Generation Mermaids. I now want to thank all my readers and reviewers. I never believed my story would be this well liked. Never believed I would get over a 100 reviews. Thanks you so much. As for the sequel I will do one. I'm **** not sure when I'll upload it, but it I'll try to do it within a month, two tops. It'll be called Next Generation Mermaids 2, so keep an eye out for it. Well, anyway, here's last chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 17: Solar Eclipse

The moon slowly moved between the sun and the earth, covering it. It was a beautiful sight to behold, but no pleasure could be felt. It seemed cold and dark. The girls stood next to the moon pool. Right above them, they could see the eclipse through the opening of the volcano. Just then a bright blue light blinded them.

With a start, Amber, Emily and Sarah shot up from their beds. They looked at each other. "Did you also…?" Sarah began, breathing hard. "Have a dream about the solar eclipse?" Emily continued, weakly. "Yeah," Amber whispered. "How weird," Sarah muttered. Slowly Emily opened the curtains, letting in the light of the morning sun and said, "It was only a dream." The other girls nodded and whispered, "Yeah. Only a dream."

It was the day of the solar eclipse. The girls were worried, even though they had no idea why. Maybe it was just the dream that had them worried. "I can't believe the solar eclipse is really here," Sarah said as the girls sat in their room. Emily and Amber nodded, solemnly. "What do we do?" Amber asked. "I think that even though it is a solar eclipse, we shouldn't see it. The full moon will be out there. It could still effect us," Emily answered. "I agree," Amber said.

"We should check if Lewis found anything. Maybe that could help us decide what to do," Sarah reminded them. "You really think he can help us? Remember he forgot we were in his house last time," Amber replied. "It's worth a shot and it's definitely better then just sitting around here until the solar eclipse is here," Emily retorted. "Fine," Amber gave in, "When is the solar eclipse?" "In one and a half hours," Emily answered. "Then lets go," Sarah said and they left the hotel, not telling their mothers.

Outside they met Jordan. Daniel and Ryan. "Where are you going?" Ryan asked. "To Lewis' house. He wanted to talk to us," Sarah lied. "You want us to come along?" Daniel asked. "I doubt Jessica will attack us in broad day light with tons of people watching. We'll be fine. Besides it's not that far away," Emily answered. "How are you feeling, Amber?" Jordan questioned, concerned. "Okay. I've recovered," Amber replied. "We should get going. We don't want to keep Lewis waiting. Bye," Emily said, quickly and the girls each kissed their boys. Walking away, the girls felt a weird sadness as though they would never see them again, but they shook it off.

* * *

"Lewis? Are you home?" Sarah called as they entered his house after nobody had let them in. "Looks like he isn't home. How weird," Emily said. Just then they heard Lewis yelled, "Is that you, Emily, Sarah, Amber? Sorry, I was busy. Sit down in the living room. I'll be right there." The girls did as they were told and soon Lewis came in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I was reading and I didn't hear the doorbell," Lewis told them. Amber gave the others a look that meant as much as I told you he is weird. "It's okay, Lewis. We're here, because we want to know what you found out," Sarah answered. "Found out about what?" Lewis asked, giving them a weird look. "About our worry about the solar eclipse," Emily reminded him.

"That's interesting. Tell us more," a threatening voice suddenly said from behind them. Amber's eyes widened as she recognized the voice. Turning around the girls saw their mothers. "Mom!" they exclaimed, shocked and then turned to Lewis, "Lewis!" "Sorry, but they know how to get a secret out of me," Lewis muttered.

"Did you honestly believe Lewis could keep a secret from us?" Rikki questioned. "Well…," the girls muttered. "Never mind. Don't answer that. More importantly how could you honestly believe that you would have to do something about the solar eclipse?" Emma asked. "We have a bad feeling. Something is going to happen," Emily explained. "We didn't want to worry you so we didn't tell you," Sarah continued. "That's sweet and all, but you girls can't forget we were mermaids too. We could help you," Cleo reminded them. The girls nodded.

"Did you find out anything?" Emily asked Lewis. "No, nothing out of the ordinary," Lewis answered, "Theoretically it should be just like a normal full moon." "It's okay. Thanks for looking in on it," Sarah said. "I guess we should get going then. We don't want to be outside when the eclipse begins," Amber told them. "It's too late for that," Lewis said, looking at his watch. "What do you mean?" Cleo asked, narrowing her eyes, not liking the sound of things. "The eclipse starts any minute now," Lewis told them. The girls' horror was written clearly in their faces. "You can stay here until it's over. The eclipse only takes a few a few minutes," Lewis offered.

"Thanks," the girls said, quickly as they drew the curtains shut and tried to secure the room as much as possible. After that was done, Sarah said, "If you want to, you can go see the eclipse." The mothers and Lewis left. Silently the girls sat in the living room as a few minutes passed. "You think we overreacted for nothing? The eclipse is almost over and nothing happened," Emily asked. "Seems so. Honestly, we worried for nothing," Sarah agreed. "Our mothers and Lewis should be back soon," Amber said, looking towards the window.

After a while their mothers and Lewis came back inside. They wore a worried expression. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked. "Is the solar eclipse over?" Amber questioned. "That's the problem. It's still going on," Lewis told them. "What!" the girls exclaimed. "But the eclipse should have ended half a hour ago," Emily replied, checking her watch. "That's just it," Emma said. "I thought it was getting cold in here," Sarah muttered, wrapping her arms around herself. "But why is this happening?" Cleo wondered.

"It can't be…," Amber stammered, scared, recognizing something. "What is it, Amber?" Rikki asked. "Emily, Sarah, can you feel that too?" Amber questioned and the girls nodded, "I thought it was just my imagination, but it's getting stronger and stronger." "What are you talking about?" Lewis asked, confused. "Jessica is doing this. I can feel the magic from that gem," Amber explained, "She's using it to keep the moon in front of the sun." The mothers' and Lewis' eyes widened. "Is she crazy!" Rikki exclaimed. "If we don't get warmth and light from the sun, everyone will die," Lewis said. "What do we do?" Cleo asked.

Amber, Sarah and Emily looked at each other and nodded. As they walked to the door, Emma demanded, "Where are you going?" "Jessica is after us. She's doing this so we come to her," Amber explained. "You can't go," Cleo objected. "It's the only way," Emily retorted, firmly. "We're the only ones who stand a chance at beating her," Sarah added. Cleo sighed and gave her daughter a hug. Rikki and Emma followed suit. "Be careful," Cleo said, softly. "We will," the girls assured them and went outside.

Outside everything was dark and cold. They kept their gazes away from the sky. Turning around one last time, they looked at the house. Although their mothers hadn't said it, they knew their mothers were worried that they might not come back. "It's been a long way up to now," Sarah said. The others nodded. They looked back on their journey. Their first time in the moon pool, the boys and their mothers. "We will protect them," Emily added. "We will win," Amber corrected them. With one last look at the Gold Coast, the girls dove into the water and swam off.

Following the gem's magic, they reached the moon pool. Getting out of the pool, Jessica stepped out of the passage way. "I've been waiting," she smiled. "Stop this, Jessica!" Emily demanded. "Why should I?" Jessica asked. "What do you gain from this?" Sarah answered. "Your corporation," Jessica replied. "We'll never corporate with you," Amber objected, enraged. "Fine with me, but I'm not so sure how long people will be able to live without the sun. Sure, you could wait until I have no energy left, but how many people will die until then? I don't care about what sacrifices I have to make," Jessica told them, neutrally. "You monster!" Sarah yelled. "It's all a matter of perspective. To me you and your mothers are the monsters," Jessica retorted, angrily, "So what is your answer?" "We'll never join you," the girls snapped.

"Suit it yourself," Jessica said, "Then I will capture you by force." Jessica pulled out the blue gem and held it towards the girls. The water from the moon pool shot towards them, but Emily, Amber and Sarah were barely able to dodge it. While they stood up, Jessica send an invisible force of magic towards them.

Quickly Amber, Sarah and Emily used their powers and they collided with Jessica's in the middle, where they rallied. For a while they were even, but slowly Jessica pushed them back. "You can't win. I am stronger," Jessica smiled, confidently. The girls looked at each other worried. They were running out of energy. It wouldn't be much longer.

Suddenly a weird light filled the volcano. Looking up, the girls saw that the sun, which was still being covered by the moon, was above the volcano. The strange light was coming from the moon. Amber, Sarah and Emily stared at the moon. Their magic suddenly felt infinite. They let all their magic flow into their attack. Jessica's attack couldn't withstand the attack any longer and burst apart. The force of magic hit Jessica and she was knocked against the wall, where she laid, unconscious.

Breathing hard, Sarah, Emily and Amber just stared. Then they slowly walked up to Jessica. Next to her laid the gem. The girls nodded and they used their magic to destroy the gem, that now no longer had any magic. Suddenly the volcano was filled by a bright light. Looking up, they saw that the moon was gone and the sun was shining again. "We did it," Sarah smiled, in disbelief. "Told you," Amber said with a smile. "I think we only won because of the moon. It gave us strength," Emily replied. "Why didn't it give Jessica strength as well?" Amber questioned. "I guess because we use moon magic. Jessica's gem manipulated the moon magic so that she could control it. It's not really moon magic," Emily suggested, thoughtfully and the girls nodded, agreeing with the idea. "What do we do with Jessica?" Sarah asked, pointing to her.

Just then they heard a groan and Jessica woke up. "Where am I? Who are you?" Jessica asked, looking at them. "Don't you remember?" Amber questioned, suspiciously. Jessica shook her head. "She must have hit her head. She can't remember what happened," Sarah said. "I guess that's good," Emily replied.

After they had called a rescue squad for Jessica, the girls swam back to Lewis' house. Getting out of the water, they were hugged to death by their mothers. Smiling, they let it happen. Amber, Sarah and Emily couldn't believe how much their lives had changed in just a few weeks.

_The end_

**A/N:** That was the last chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. For the last time for this story, please review. Hope I see some of you in my sequel again.


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